


The Fall Bloom

by Dranemra



Series: The Budding Rose [2]
Category: The Sims (Video Games), transgender - Fandom
Genre: Bisexuality, F/F, F/M, High School, LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Themes, Lesbian Character, Other, Teen Romance, The Sims 4, inisght
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-04
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:34:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 81
Words: 259,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26816677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dranemra/pseuds/Dranemra
Summary: This is book 2 to The Budding Rose, I recommend you read it in order to place the events that will happen here.Rose has an ultimatum: fess up to her jealous girlfriend that she has other relationships, or go back to live with her brother in Britechester. Even then, Rose has lost her privilege to live on her own - due to her promiscuous nature. How will this change this teens life? Will this put a strain on her existing relationships and friendships? Who will be Rose's date for the HarvestFest ball?
Series: The Budding Rose [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1941508
Kudos: 2





	1. I Hate Mondays

I wake up to some sort of song about hope. Yeah, that’s suitable for this morning. I grumble as I turn off my alarm and stare at the ceiling, wondering how this day is going to turn out. I do my morning calisthenics to get my body and mind going for the day.

I send Monique at text asking her to come home with me after work. _Time to face the music._

I’m dressed and washing up in the bathroom when I get her reply. 

-= You haven’t spoken to me all weekend, and now you’re demanding I come over after work?

This is starting the day off to a wonderful start, she’s upset, and I haven’t even broken the news to her yet. I send a reply, hoping to calm her temper before she really needs to be angry.

-= Please honey, it’s important. 

-= Fine. 

I hop on my bike. _Well, here goes_. And head downtown.

Beth is coming out of the bakery when I get there, and I greet her with a hug. 

“So, you going to tell her this morning?” Beth gives me a concerned look.

“I don’t have a choice in the matter.” I give her a sad look. “Dave made himself quite clear that, if I want to continue living here in Willow Creek, I have to come clean with my girlfriend that I’ve been cheating on her.” 

We spot Monique’s family car pull up in front of the café and I turn to face my girlfriend as she comes out and wishes her father a good morning.   
Monique turns around and pulls me into a big hug. Her motion catches me by surprise, but I don’t hesitate as she looks up to me for a good morning kiss. 

She leans her head against my shoulder. “Just cause I’m upset you haven’t spoken to me this weekend, doesn’t mean I didn’t miss you.” She says holding me tight. 

“I missed you too.” I can’t help but smile and relax in her arms. 

“Is that why you asked me to come home with your this morning?” Monique looks up at me with a twinkle in her eye. “Looking to make up for lost time?” she says suggestively. 

“Something like that.” I smile hesitantly. 

Monique notes the change in body language. “Baby, what’s wrong?”

“After work, okay?” I give her a half smile.

Monique frowns. “Okay.”

Beth gives me a slight worried look, turns and opens the café. Monique is being her usual affectionate self as we get going for the day. I’m trying to relax and not let my anxiety control my emotions this morning, but I can tell by the way people around me react that I’m not myself this morning.

As we’re about to leave, Beth looks at me concerned. “You sure you really want to go through with this? You’ve been an emotional wreck this morning.”

“Beth, I don’t have a choice.” I say sadly. 

Beth gives me a grim smile. “Yeah. Good luck.” She gives me a comforting hug, and I head out of the office. 

I hand Monique her backpack, our fingers entwine, and we walk out of the café together.   
We’re not even a block away from the café when Monique confronts my mood. 

“Honey, you’ve not been yourself this morning, what’s wrong?” She says with a concerned tone. 

“Dave got angry with me this weekend.” I start. “I almost didn’t make it back home from Britechester. I was thankful that Beth joined us this weekend, otherwise I may not have been here this morning.” 

Monique looks at me worried. “What could you have done that would warrant him to make that serious a threat my love?”

I take a deep breath, trying to keep my grip steady on my handle bars, as I walk my bike beside us. “It’s what I haven’t done that’s made him angry.” 

Monique looks at me confused. 

“Monique, I haven’t been honest with you lately, and he’s angry that I’m holding things from you.” I give her glance, trying to hold back a tear. 

Monique frowns in confusion, before she can say anything I continue. 

“Dave has told me to come clean with you or I lose my choice of living here in Willow Creek.” I take a deep breath. “I was hoping to keep stalling till we got home, but I guess I might as well just spill it now.” 

I stop, prop my bike on it’s kickstand, and turn to my girlfriend, taking her hands in mine. 

“Monique, I am so sorry my love, but I have not been faithful to you.” I start in a sad tone. “I’ve not only dating others behind your back, but have also been sexually involved with them.”

Monique looks at me blankly for a moment, dropping her hands from my hold.

“I think you have suspected for awhile. I’ve lied to you time and again that you were wrong, that there was nothing serious - yet all this time I have been sleeping with people behind your back.”

Monique’s face turns red as her anger boils. “Leilani!” she spits vehemently. 

“She was the first, yes.” I say bowing my head in shame.

“There’s more than one?!” Monique’s anger is increasing. 

“Travis, and two others his weekend.” I reply. 

“So that hickey on his neck Wednesday, that was you!?” She says bitterly. “And the matching one on Leilani was from you as well?” 

I take a deep breath. “Yes.” 

Monique reaches out and slaps my face, hard! I didn’t move or dodge her attack, I deserved what was coming to me. 

“How could you!?” she yells at me, completely loosing her composure. 

“I…” I start. 

“No! Don’t you try to justify cheating on me!” She continues her yelling. “To think I loved you all this time and you go and fuck your neighbour behind my back!” 

“Monique, I do love you…” I start.

“Don’t give me that bullshit! If you really did love me, you wouldn’t have gone and slept with your friends!” She’s so angry she’s crying. 

“I… you’re right.” I say with a small voice.” 

“Were you expecting me to just smile and say that everything is okay!?” she says tearfully. “Do you think I am just going to forgive you for lying to my face all this time!? How the hell do you think I can trust you after what you just did to me!?”

“Monique I…” I start, taking a half step towards her.

She pushes me away

“No, I don’t want to hear any excuses! Go and fuck your neighbour, we’re done you and I!” 

Monique storms back the way we came, I see her pulling out her phone, she’s probably texting someone to come pick her up. 

I could try to chase after her. Try to find some way to make things up… _No Rose, you’ve done enough damage for one day_. I turn around, I give Monique one more sad glance, wiping a tear from my sore cheek. Monique is now talking to someone while leaning on the corner of a building, visibly crying. 

I slump my shoulders in defeat. I turn my back to her, kick my bike off it’s stand and walk back home. 

I stand in the shower, letting the water wash over me. I feel so dirty. No amount of soap or water can wash away the guilt I feel right now. Guilt I probably should have felt a long time ago, but somehow haven’t… I let the water wash away my tears as I cry. I broke Monique’s heart, and for what? Sexual satisfaction? No. Not just for the sex, outside of Lee, I really do love Leilani, Travis and Cassandra. And then there’s Diane. She knows there are others, yet - like my other lovers - wants to be with me. Gods why did I have to make my life so complicated!?

Jane never warned me of the side effects for being polyamorous. How complicated it would be to keep those I love happy. What would happen when I found someone who won’t understand how I can love more than one person - and the heartache it would cause. I do still love Monique, but I have shattered her trust, and ruined what we have together. It would take a miracle for her to forgive me.

I lay in bed, listening to music, trying to change my mood and getting some focus to my mind for the day. It’s not helping. Every single love song that comes up in my random music list brings tears to my eyes again. 

Well, no point in moping around all day, I still need to get to school. I ignore breakfast this morning, my stomach is too upset for me to even think about eating. 

I’m early when I knock on Leilani’s door. As I’ve become accustomed to, I walk in.

“Good morning.” I call out as I close the front door behind me.

“You’re early.” I hear her mom call out from the kitchen. 

“Yeah, I rather not be sitting alone in my house this morning, is Leilani up yet?” I say in a flat tone.” 

“I heard her come out of the shower a moment ago.” Her mother says as I join her in the kitchen. She looks at me. “Are you okay Rose? You’re not your cheerful self today.”

Apparently my whole body echoes my mood this morning. I take a sigh sadly. “Monique and I broke up this morning.” 

“Yes!” The excitement in my girlfriend’s voice is clear as Leilani’s arms wrap around me lovingly. 

I relax into her arms, relishing her affection, I really need to feel loved right now.

Her mother’s expression is different. “What kind of fight could you two have possibly had to have your relationship end so suddenly?”

I am distracted by Leilani giving me a loving kiss. 

“Leilani, let Rose talk.” Her mother interjects in annoyance. 

“Sorry.” Leilani blushes, and leans against my chest. 

I take a deep breath. “My brother gave me an ultimatum.” I start as I hold Leilani close to me. “Tell Monique of my other relationships or I move back to Britechester with him. My .. Umm.. Promiscuous behavior has him upset. He says I’ve been acting irresponsibly and thinks I need proper adult supervision.” 

Her mom is quiet for a moment. “Well, he’s not wrong…” 

I bow my head, kissing Leilani’s forehead. “No. He’s not. He was almost ready to keep me up in Britechester this weekend, Beth was the one who argued the right for me to come back home.”

She smiles. “So nice of you to think of Willow Creek as home already.” 

“I’ve never have felt like I belonged anywhere till I moved here.” I say a tear welling in my eye. 

“So.. I take it your girlfriend didn’t take the news well.” Her mother probes.

“No, she accused me of not really loving her, and for destroying the trust we shared…” I take a deep breath. “She’ll likely never talk to me agan.” 

“You did love her didn’t you?” her mother says surprised.

“I still do, which is why it hurts so much.” I say sadly. 

Her mother shakes her head. “You love each of the girls for different reasons, which is how you formed an equally deep love for each, haven’t you?” 

I nod. “It won’t take long for the rumour to circulate around school that we broke up… I don’t know how that’s going to affect how people see me.” 

“I guess it all depends on how you broke up spreads around.” Her mother says with a grim smile. “Teens can be rather cruel with one another.” 

“You don’t have to remind me of that. I just… things where finally going so well, and I just ruined it all.” I say sadly. 

“I think you’ll do fine.” She says reassuringly. “People generally love you. That you aren’t a faithful girlfriend could have repercussions thought.” She warns me.

“Yeah, I’m going from a positive image to being coined the school slut.” I say bitterly. 

“Now Rose, don’t be so hard on yourself.” Her mom frowns.

“How else would you define what I’ve done.” I say in exasperation.

Her mother is quiet for a moment. Yeah, that’s what I figured.

“So, I don’t have to hide my love for you anymore?” Leilani looks up at me hopefully, breaking the silence.

“Give it a day or two my love, I don’t want to make this worse by not showing any remorse for what happened this morning.” I say with caution. 

“Not even a little bit?” Leilani pouts. 

I give her a squeeze. I can tell now that it’s been so difficult for her to hold back her affections, and now that she feels she has free reign, I’m still telling her no.  
“Just, give this time, okay?” I ask her.

Leilani cuddles into me. “Okay….” But I can tell she’s not happy with my request.

“You two best get going so you’re not late.” Her mother says at last. She hands us bananas. “Here, I doubt you’ve eaten this morning Rose.” 

“That obvious?” I say sadly, and she nods. She steps forward and gives us a hug. 

“Know that you are still loved Rose, regardless of what the kids are going to say to you at school.” She says reassuringly. 

“Thanks.” I give her a weak smile. 

We head out together, when we’re about a block away from home, I look down at my still happy girlfriend. Her comfort and affection is what’s keeping me together this morning.

“I’m moving.” I say to her quietly. 

“But I thought you said that Beth convinced your brother to let you stay here in Willow Creek?” Leilani says suddenly worried.

“I’m still going to live here, but my brother says I need proper adult supervision.” I say sadly. “I have a week to pack my things and then I’m moving to Beth’s family’s house.”

“But you’re living in their house.” Leilani says confused.

“Not the Simmon’s house.” I correct her. “Winslow Manor” 

“But that’s on the edge of town!” Leilani objects. “You might as well say you’re moving out of Willow Creek! You’ll be so far away, I won’t see you every day!”

“I know.” I say sadly. “But this is my punishment.” 

“That’s so unfair!” Leilani says angrily. 

“I know.” I sigh. “But, I did it to myself after my actions this weekend.”

Leilani frowns. “What did you do this weekend?” 

“I got drunk, slept with a couple of friends…” The guilt in my voice evident.

“You had sex with people in Britechester?!” Leilani says in surprise. 

“I’m sorry Leilani. I know I shouldn’t have, but my friend Diane came on to me, we were both drunk and…” 

Leilani punches me in the shoulder. “Bad Rose!” 

“Well, Diane’s another transwoman, so I couldn’t get her pregnant…” I start.

“You slept with one of your support group friends?!” Leilani says in surprise.

“She’s been flirting with me since June, I should have seen it coming…” I say apologetically. 

“Are you going to see her again?” Lelani probes me, trying to gage how serious the relationship is. 

“She would like to, and to be honest, I would as well, would that upset you?” I look at Leilani with concern. “If it does I will tell her no. I love you too much to lose two girlfriends in one day.” I say tears starting to well up in my eyes. 

Leilani pulls me to a stop. “Rose, I love you, as long as you never leave me I will always be by your side.” She pulls my head down and gives me a long loving kiss. 

“Thank you.” I say softly. “I don’t ever want to hurt you.” A tear runs down my cheek and she wipes away.

“Next time, asking permission before adding a new lover into our circle would be appreciated.” She says softly. “As long as you are being safe, then you aren’t putting the rest of us at risk.” 

_She is so amazingly different that Monique._

I nod. “Which is why I insisted on Lee using condoms when I slept with him.” 

“Him? as in a boy? Or another of your transgender friends?” Leilani looks at me curiously. 

“Lee is a boy, he and his brother work at the Bistro nearby where I spent the summer, apparently he’s had a crush on me for months now too.” 

Leilani shakes her head. “Cassandra’s right, you are a sex magnet.” And we start walking again. “Do you have feelings for this Lee guy?” she asks curiously. 

“No, it was just a night of fun sex, I doubt we’ll ever be in bed again.” I reply. 

“Well, I don’t mind your fling with Lee then, but Travis seems to get a bit jealous when you show interest in other boys…” Leilani warns me. 

“So I’ve noticed.” I frown. “I doubt he’ll react much to Diane… but.. Yeah..”

Cassandra joins us. She has a hopeful smile on her face as she says her good morning to us. I can see the question forming, so I say it first. 

“Yes, I told Monique.” I tell her as she approaches us. 

Leilani frowns in confusion. “Cass already knows?” 

“I told her last night when we were gaming. I needed a sounding board before my anxiety ate away at me.” I say in my defense.

“And what was her answer, did she react as we expected her to?” Cassandra inquires.

“She yelled at me, slapped my face, and stormed off crying. I doubt we’ll get back together now that I ruined her trust in me.” I say sadly. 

Cassandra smiles. “I know I should feel sorry for you, but that means she’s no longer in our way.” She latches on to my other arm affectionately.

“Cass, can I ask that we hold off dating till the worse of this blows over? I don’t want to encourage rumours that I’m nothing more than an uncaring slut, and moving on to someone else already.” 

Cass lets go and gives me a sad look. “As you wish my dear.” 

Lealani watches the exchange. “You two didn’t sleep together last night did you?” 

“No Cassandra and I haven’t slept together.” I reassure Leilani. “I just uncorked the affections she’s been hiding since the slumber party.” 

“Oh, really?” Leilani says with a smile, suddenly curious.

Cass blushes as we continue walking. “I tried to deny my feelings for Rose, but the more time we spend together, the harder it is to hide that I’ve fallen in love with her.” 

I reach out to Cassandra, and she takes my hand willingly. 

“She does have that effect on people, doesn’t she.” Leilani says with an affectionate smile.. 

We spend the rest of our walk discussing the other things I did while up in Britechester. The spa, the karaoke, the dancing, the playing. 

“I missed you playing in front a live audience?” Cassandra says with a sad face. 

“Well, the band loves my talents, this won’t be the only time I jam with them.” I give an encouraging smile. 

“When do you go back up there?” Cassandra inquires.

“Three months from now, just before the end of the year. I may even be gone for New Years Eve, but I won’t be leaving till the second week of winter break.” 

“So we get to have you with us for Winterfest? My parents always throw a big party.” Cassandra smiles. 

I smile. “I think the hardest part of the holiday will be who gets me for their grand feast.”

“Well, if the Simmons don’t mind having theirs early, I know Mama would love to have you over for supper.” Cassandra says smiling. 

Leilani gives her a surprised look. “You know about Rose moving too?” 

“Yes I know about her brother’s bargain.” Cass says with a frown. “It’s totally not fair that we won’t have Rose with us anymore for our morning walk.” 

I suddenly get an idea, Cassandra feels the change in my mood. “What are you thinking of love?” 

“I might have an idea, but I’ll have to ask Leilani’s parents’ permission tomorrow before I follow through…” I say with a grin growing on my face.

Leilani looks thoughtful for a moment. “You’re going to ask my parents if you can come over to my place after work, aren’t you?” 

“Okay, maybe not so cunning.” I roll my eyes, Leilani got it on the first guess, am I that predictable? Or has she been formulating that idea as well?

Leilani giggles. “I’ve been wondering if my parents would agree to such an idea since we left the house.” Cassandra smile indicates she had the same idea this morning as well. 

“Aren’t we quite the trio.” I smile. I stop and we all hug each other tight before continuing on to school. 


	2. Monday after the Break

As we turn onto the school road, I notice my girlfriends don’t let go of my hands. _So much for playing things low-key_. We encounter Travis before we hit the parking lot. He walks up, gives Leilani a hug and kiss. He gives Cassandra an odd look, glancing down at her affectionately holding my hand. 

“Something happen this weekend with you two that I’m not aware of?” He says calmly. 

“Monique dumped Rose and Cass is taking the opportunity to make her move.” Leilani says before I can respond. She really needs to learn about tact. 

We start walking towards school. Travis looks at us confused. “Rose?” 

“Yes, Monique broke up with me this morning. My brother told me I had to tell her about my relationships with you two or I move back with him.” 

Travis whistles. “Wow. I can’t imagine that she took that well.”

“No, she didn’t” I frown. “She accused me of pretending to love her and ruining her trust. I tried to tell her otherwise, but..” 

“Being monogamous, she can’t understand how you can love more than one person.” Cassandra finishes for me. “I know. I’ve spent the past couple of weeks wondering if I can fit into your little love circle.” She gives my hand a squeeze. “I believe I had much the same reaction when I found you three together that morning.” 

I smile at her. “You did. And yet you still held back till Monique and I broke up.” 

“When we start dating my darling Rose, I don’t want to have to hold back my affection for you because of some foolish, childish girl’s jealousy.” She finishes. _Yeah, and that is my confirmation that you’ve always held some dislike for my relationship with Monique._

“When you start dating?” Travis quirks and eyebrow… Then he recalls that Monday after gym. “So, you’re following your mother’s advice to stop holding back on your love for her?” 

She looks among the 3 of us and nods. “The more we spend time together, the harder it gets to hide my feelings.” 

Travis smiles, and gives her a half hug. “Just don’t expect me to kiss you like I do Leilani, that would just feel wrong.” His mischievous grin is clear, but Cassandra still smacks his shoulder for it. 

“Yeah, not going to happen, it would be like kissing my brother.” She scrunches her face and we all laugh. 

We get in school, and the morning starts off relatively normal. I get slightly anxious as to how long it will take before word gets around. I have this fear or my past coming back to me and my whole life I’ve built this past month to come shattering down around me. 

Geography class and Trent asks me how my weekend went, stating that they all missed having me around on Friday. He’s so sweet, I know he’s going to treat Zoe well, I look forward to seeing their relationship bloom. 

“It was definitely memorable, I’ll tell you over lunch.” I smile. 

It’s a busy day in class today, as we’re studying continental land masses, and the new subject matter takes the whole class. New month, new subject matter seems to be the theme today. For the exception of History, we have one more week to work on our projects before we present them next Monday.

We chat about our project as we come out of class and move to our lockers. Today’s class was pretty much devoted to working on it, so we’re nearly done. 

“So, can you fit working on finishing our project in that busy schedule of yours?” Trent says jokingly. 

I smile “ We have a few lunch periods, but our best bet would be Friday night or whatever day this weekend works with the others. 

“What do you mean?…” he starts. “Oh, Zoe had hinted that we had a beach party planned this weekend…”

“Yeah, so whatever day we don’t go to the beach, we’ll work on the project, okay?” 

Trent smiles. “Deal.” 

We gather his lunch, and move over to my locker. I’ve noticed some people are starting to look at us. As I dig my lunch out of my locker, Trent leans against the wall as we chat about our project and what art I want to include in it. 

“Say Rose…” Trent says, looking over his shoulder. 

“Hmm?” I know what’s coming and brace myself. 

“Something happen this weekend that I’m not aware of?” he says with a touch of concern in his voice. 

“This weekend no, but Monique and I had an argument this morning and she broke up with me. I guess the rumour mill has already started.” I say sadly. 

“Couples argue sometimes.” Trent says with a frown. “What did you do that was so wrong?” 

We’re approaching the cafeteria doors, and I prepare myself. “I cheated on her.” I say quietly. And push the doors open. 

Sure enough, nearly the entire cafeteria looks up as I enter the room. _Yeah, this isn’t awkward at all._ I’m sure some of these people had considered Monique and I the queer couple of the year, this is really not going to end well. I try my best to ignore the stares, glares and gossiping and make my way to my friends. I get to our table. Leilani and Cassandra have me sit between them, then shift closer to me for support. 

“Rose, what’s going on with you today?” Zoe asks me curiously after greeting her boyfriend with a kiss. 

“Well, you might as well hear it from me, as you’ll hear it eventually.” I say in resignation. “I told Monique this morning that I have relationships on the side with Travis and Leilani. My girlfriend, naturally, blew up at my infidelity and broke up with me.” I’m looking down and toying with my sandwich container, still unsure if I’m hungry. The only thing I ate today was the banana I was given. 

Zoe frowns. “Well, a lot of us suspected, but why come clean now?” 

“My brother made me.” I give her a sad look. “He threatened to remove me from Willow Creek because I’m not behaving responsibly.” 

Travis turns at that comment. “Rose, you’re only 17…” 

“And I’ve always been expected to act older than my age. It’s something I had become accustomed to, it’s why my brother felt confident I could live on my own.” I take a deep breath. “I guess I proved him wrong.” 

“So what happens now?” Zoe asks, she has a feeling I’m not done saying everything.

“I pack up, and move into Winslow Mannor by Monday. It’s his belief that my lack of adult supervision is what led to my promiscuous behavior.” I say with a grim smile. “I guess, on the bright side, I get to stay here in Willow Creek.” I look around the cafeteria to be greeted with a few dirty looks. “And try to salvage the reputation I just ruined.” 

Zoe puts a comforting hand on mine. Leilani and Cassandra have a hand each on my back. “You still have friends here that care and love you Rose.” She smiles. “You haven’t lost everything.” 

Tim leans forward and says in a low voice. “Yeah, seeing as some of us have known the truth, and still admire you for who you are.” 

Chris and Brent look at him in surprise and Travis smiles at him. “Thanks.” 

Brent looks at Travis, puts a finger up. “So, you snuggling up with Rose at computer club…” 

“Was because we had already started dating.” Travis says. “Rose and I have been a couple outside of school for over two weeks now. You read my moves right and we lied to you, sorry.” 

Chris leans back and whistles. “Wow man, and here everyone thought Rose was queer.”

“Bisexuals are still queer Chris.” I say calmly. “I guess you can say I fall in love with the person more than what’s between their legs.” 

Travis gives me a smile, reading into my hidden meaning. And Zoe suddenly starts to giggle. 

“Zoe honey, not here Chris doesn’t know what the rest of us know.” Trent says.

“Know what?” Chris suddenly looks confused. 

“Well, I guess that’s going to come out soon enough as well.” I say. I look at him. “Chris, had you come out to my soccer practice like the rest of us, you would know this too, so I might as well tell you myself before you hear it second hand…” He gives me a puzzled look, wondering what he’s missing. “I came Out on Wednesday, and let my soccer team know that I am a transgender girl.” 

“Shit! No way!” Chris says loudly, drawing people to look our way.

He looks around. “Sorry.” He says and blushes. “That’s like… wow. You mean you still have a…” Chris seems stumble on his words…

“A dick, most likely bigger than yours.” Travis finishes for him.” 

Chris’ eyes grow large and he looks around the table. “So, does that make Travis?…” 

“Oh, he’s still straight.” Leilani interjects, her tone gets playful and seductive. “He leaves that for me to have fun with.” 

“Leilani behave.” I say with a sly smile. As Chris nearly falls out of his chair in surprise.

“Okay, that’s TMI.” Says Trent in surprise.

Chris’ curiosity isn’t done yet and he continues once he recovers. “So, how does it work with you two then?” He asks motioning between Travis and I. 

I can see Leilani about to answer and stop her. “Leilani, no, don’t answer that one.” 

Leilani frowns . “Fine take all my fun away.” And she gives me a mock pout and I tap her on the nose, making her giggle. 

Zoe smiles and leans against Trent. “Well, it sure makes a lot of sense with the way the three of you act around each other.” Then she looks at Cassandra. 

“Don’t look at me like that, I’ve been asked to hold off on us dating till the worse of this passes.” She gives me a hurt look. 

Zoe merely shakes her head, and then leans closer to me. “So, if I wasn’t dating Trent, was I next?” She says suggestively. Trent pokes her tickle spot. She eeps, giggles, and she backs up, holding her side.

“To be honest, I was happy with the relationships I have. What is building between Cassandra and I, is something that we were both trying to deny.” I give her a loving look and she smiles.

“Something her family saw as well, and with her parents’ blessing, I am more than happy that I’m going to be a part of her life.” 

“Outside of what happened this morning, there is one more thing I need to do first before I make our relationship official, something I should have done for Leilani and Monique at the start….”

“I told you that you don’t have to tell my parents that you are a transgender girl dear.” Cassandra replies.

“I do, and I will. No more surprises. I’m tired of hiding what I am to those I care about the most.” I say firmly, and she smiles. 

Monique and her friends go by distracting our discussion. We’re all so close and affectionate, that she snaps and starts storming my way. Before she can get very far though, Yasmin pulls her back by the shoulders. 

Through the noise in the cafeteria, I can’t make out what they are saying, but Monique is getting increasingly angry. Her best friend is probably telling her that I’m not worth making a scene over. If only she knew how deeply we had cared for each other, then she would understand better.. Or maybe she’s just trying to pacify the situation. The room is getting quiet as they are drawing attention, so everyone clearly hears Monique’s closing remarks. 

“You’re right! She’s nothing more than a filthy cheating slut!” 

She gives me one more hurt, angry look, then storms out of the cafeteria fuming. I hide my head in my arms as the entire cafeteria looks my way. _Please, shoot me now!_

“Well, anyone who didn’t already know, does now…” Travis says with a grim smile. 

“Baby it’s not as bad as you think.” Leilani says softly. 

“We’ll see how that affect game come Wednesday.” I say sadly. “I just hope my team can forgive me so that it doesn’t hurt our team play.”

“Your team means a lot to you, don’t they?” Zoe asks concerned. 

“A good team is like a family.” Trent answers for me. “You build a level of trust and friendship, by the end of season you know each other’s strengths and weaknesses and play on those accordingly to win the game.” He looks at me. “Rose’s team is months ahead of the curve in how well they’ve bonded, way better than the guys and I have. They’ll still follow you Rose, as long as you lay it out straight with them on the way to Newcrest. Just like you did last week when you came Out to them.” 

I give him a weak smile. “Thanks Trent, that means a lot to me.” 

“You’ve helped me so much Rose, you will never lose my friendship over what you just told us. You have the right to love who you want. My uncle calls it polygamy I think… you can love more than one person, which is why you and your friends are so close. You share your love with all of them without holding back. That builds a bond that’s not easily shattered.” 

I look at the door sadly. “Until you find someone who’s unwilling to share.” 

“None of us approved of your relationship with Monique.” Tim says, breaking the silence. 

“What?” I look at him surprised. 

“While I’m sure most of the school encouraged your public displays of affection and how she fawned all over you. Those of us in your circle of friendship never really liked her.” He continues.

“Every time she was near, you would shut a part of yourself from us to make her happy.” Zoe says. “Like you were always worried she’d lash out if she knew we cared about you.”

“You don’t have to worry about her anymore.” Trent says with a tender smile. 

I have can feel the tears well up in the corner of my eyes. “Thank you so much, all of you. I’m sorry I held things from you. I never meant to harm any of you.” 

“We know.” Cassandra says, leaning her head on my shoulder. “The life you left behind was full of fear, hatred and mistrust. It’s hard to let down your guard, but when you do, you make every single one of us feel special in some way.” 

A tear rolls down my cheek as my friends put their hands on mine. “I don’t know what to say… I…”

“Yes, you deserve getting back some of the love you share with us.” Travis says softly. 

“Thank you.” 

The bell ringing breaks our tender moment. I wipe the tears of happiness from my cheeks. We break up and get our stuff together, heading out as a group.   
For the rest of the afternoon, I am never left alone. I don’t know if my friends were worried someone might do something, or if they just felt I needed the moral support. Though I don’t see Tim or Trent for the rest of the afternoon, as I have only grade 11 courses Mondays after lunch. The rest of my friends walk with me in the halls, and sit with me in class.

Tina and Amber blend into our group as we head to Geography. 

“Rose, you amaze me, you went from squeaky clean to the biggest gossip in school” Amber says. 

“I didn’t expect Monique to be quiet about us breaking up.” I say with a grim face.

“Schools all a buzz, and after Monique’s outburst at lunch, folks are saying that you nothing more than a lying, cheating, slut.” Amber says with no reserve. 

“Wow. That’s a harsh.” Says Cassandra. “Just cause Rose has a few girlfriends and a boyfriend doesn’t make her a slut.” My best friend says in annoyance. 

Tina laughs and pats Cass on the back. “Now I know why you keep her around Rose, she’s great for being blunt and to the point.” Tina continues to smile. “Good thing that your real friends don’t care what the rumour mill says.” 

“They don’t?” I ask surprised. 

“Nope.” Tina replies confidently. “Spoke to the girls on the team, they are totally not phased by this. They figure it’s some ploy by Newcrest to upset us before we play.” 

I smile. “You girls constantly amaze me by your dedication.”

“Rose, this is the first time in memory that our little town of Willow Creek has a shot for the nationals. You are our anchor, and nothing anyone says about you is going to break that.” Amber replies, putting her hand on my arm. 

“We have the best coach in the country and a hot powerful forward that can run circles around people.” Tina continues. “You are our ace in the whole, the girls are ready to stand by you tooth and nail to protect you.” 

“Thank you. That means a lot to me.” I relax and give them a smile. 

“Something you said on Wednesday. You haven’t had an easy life before you came to Willow Creek, have you?” Amber probes.

I shake my head. 

“I can understand why you thought your breakup with Monique would shatter what you have gained so far.” Amber continues. 

“Rich girls love to make the lives of us lesser people miserable.” Tina says sourly. “Like we’re just toys to play with for their amusement.” 

“Not all rich girls act that way.” Cassandra snaps offended by the accusation.

Tina puts her arm around Cassandra. “Well put.” She smiles. “Rich, popular girls then, I stand corrected.” 

My girlfriend smiles at her. “You’re forgiven.” 

Tina puts her other arm around me. “So, the point is: Monique’s from money, and is used to getting her way. No one is going to believe the whining of some spoiled little rich girl. Except, maybe, other spoiled little rich girls. And when Susan found out about Monique’s outburst, she laughed. So you don’t even have Ms. Gossip Extraordinare against you on this.” 

We reach class and she finishes. “This doesn’t change how your real friends see you. Let the little prissies talk. We don’t care what they say.” 

My smile is genuine for the first time today. “Thanks, all of you.” 

We settle down in our chairs, all close to one another. I never imagined creating my own clique, but it appears that I have. 


	3. To the Gym and Beyond

As we get out of class, Travis comments that he has the van to get us to the gym - seeing as I’m going over to his place for supper. 

“Your day doesn’t get any better, does it Rose?” Tina says. 

“No, well, at least I can tell them that my girlfriend broke up with me cause I fell for Travis.” I lean against him affectionately. “The worrisome part of supper will be explaining to them how there is no risk of Travis getting me pregnant.” 

Cassandra looks up from her phone. “I wish I could be there to see their reaction. It’ll be priceless. I sent Mama a message that we’ll be picking her up.” 

It suddenly dawns on me, I have no gym clothes.“Oh, with everything that happened this morning, I forgot my gym bag! Can we drive Leilani home honey?” 

“I can’t see why not.” He says and Leilani gives him a hug. 

We say goodbye to our friends, and the 4 of us walk to Travis’ van. There are a few insults thrown our way which we do our best to ignore. I’ve already gotten confirmation from those closest to me that they’ll stand by me. I’ve not lost everything. _No, but you did lose your girlfriend._

I get in the back with Leilani, and Cassandra sits up front with Travis as usual. Soon as we pull up to the Goth residence, Bella comes out with hers and Cassandra’s gym bags. Cassandra surrenders the front passenger seat to her mother, leaving the passenger door open for Bella to place the bags. Bella closes the passenger door behind her as she gets in beside Travis. 

“Thank you Travis for the drive, it is quite fitting today. Mortimer is deep into writing a new novel, and disrupting him for the drive would have been worrisome.” Bella says with a smile. 

I get out with Leilani and we trade a long kiss before I run into my house to get my gym bag, thankful that I had emptied it last night before going to bed. I grab what I need for our workout, and dash out the door.

“You and the Forrest girl are quite affectionate.” Bella comments as I come back. 

“She would have been Rose’s first girlfriend had Monique not asked first.” Cassandra comments, remembering the slumber party. 

“Well, we don’t have to worry about Monique anymore, so Leilani now has her wish.” I say with a half smile.”

“Why do you not have to worry about Monique anymore?” Bella asks curiously. 

“We broke up this morning when I finally admitted to her about my relationships with Travis and Leilani.” I say sadly. 

“I can imagine what you share with your loves, she considered infidelity, even though you were only dating.” Bella gives a half smile. She looks at her daughter behind Travis. “I suppose you have already asked then my child?” 

Cassandra blushes. “Yes, Rose and I kissed last night after I asked to be her girlfriend.” My girlfriend looks at me lovingly, reaches out her hand and we hold hands affectionately.

“It’s nice to see you happy.” Bella smiles and turns back to watching the road. 

We pull into a free parking space by the café, and head into the gym. We quickly change and decide to start with jogging this time.

I set the treadmill to the hill challenge and start my run. 

“You’re not going to hurt yourself with that are you?” Travis says, watching how I set my difficulty to 5 times normal. 

“I’ll be fine.” I say as the machine starts to incline. I’m not holding on to the handles as the machine indicates I’m pretty much running up a mountain.

I don’t miss a step. I don’t hold onto the handles, I don’t want the machine to tell me what my heart rate is right now, I can feel it pounding to escape my chest just fine. I’m sure that Travis and Cassandra are looking at me with concern, but I need to get rid of all this negative emotion - and this is the best way I know how.

I’m drenched in sweat as my routine ends before theirs. I’m stretching my legs as they are done their run. Trying to keep my tortured muscles from knotting with the sudden abuse I subjected them to. 

Travis comes up to me, helping me with the arm stretches as I have taught him. “Are you okay Rose?” he says with concern. 

“I just had some residual bad emotions to work out.” I reassure him. I kiss his cheek as I turn around. 

“Okay.” He doesn’t sound completely convinced. 

“I’m still bothered with having to move.” I say at last, knowing he was not going to let the topic go till he discovered the source.

I set up the weights for them, going for an extra 5 kilos like I did last week. They both seem to be handling the new weight. I guess, with volley ball, Cassandra’s building better muscle definition with, effectively, 3 gym sessions a week. 

I catch up to their reps and then we work at the same pace to the music playing over the stereo system. Don looks over at us, and I can tell he’s impressed by the fact my friends and I are in synch with each other. 

Once we’re done our sets, we go over to the mats and do our stretching exercises together. 

“I needed that.” I say at least as I let my back stretch.

After our workout, Travis decides to be sneaky and slips into the shower with me. The stalls are private, no one will know now that the door is locked. I’m not going to complain, the hot water and his hands are very welcome in working out the knots I made in pushing myself past my limits today. 

I return the favour by doing his back. And he really starting to enjoy this part of showering. We don’t even have any shower play, we’re enjoying simply working out our stressed muscles. 

I slip out of the shower first, then knock to let Travis know the coast is clear, then we split to get dressed. I give him a quick kiss as we part ways. I so love that he didn’t push any sex, just wanted me to feel comforted. 

We get downstairs to find Cass and her mother waiting. 

“What took you two so long?” Cassandra is clearly annoyed.

“Rose had some knots to work out, she had pushed herself too hard and it would have been painful tomorrow morning.” Travis says calmly. 

Bella smiles. “Ah, you’ve discovered the joys of showering together.” Her tone indicates she thinks we were up to more. I just smile and don’t argue. 

We drop the Goths off at their place. I can’t resist, and surprise Cassandra by giving her a loving kiss before she leaves. She sort of stumbles out of the van dreamily. 

“I’m going to learn to really love your kisses.” She says with a distant smile on her lips. 

Bella gets their bags out of the van and wishes us a good night.

“Ready for this?” Travis inquires as I move up front with him. “You can still back out now.” 

“No, lets get this over and done with. We’ve hidden our relationship from your parents long enough.” I say nervously. 

We pull out and wave to Cassandra and her mom one last time. 

“Well, at least we know they like you.” Travis says in a comforting tone. 

“Yes, they were hoping I’d become your girlfriend, I guess your mom must be quite smug in reading me right.” I reply. 

“Yeah, she’s been teasing me about it all week.” Travis says, rolling his eyes.

It doesn’t take long to drive to his house from the Goth residence. We spend the short time discussing how his weight training is progressing. I’m already seeing definition in his arms and legs. In the shower, I felt stronger back muscles. I now understand how Leilani got so turned on giving me a back rub. It took every effort not to get hard in the shower. 

I leave my bags in the van, seeing as he’ll be driving me home later. We get in and are greeting by Liz and her husband. 

“You two timed your workout really well, supper is ready, and we’re about to set the table.” Liz smiles. She gives me a quick hug and her smile gets wider. “I thought that was your perfume I smelled on Travis’ clothing. 

Travis blushes. “Everyone comments on how Rose smells like strawberries. I guess it was easy to deduce that it wasn’t Cassandra’s scent on my clothing Wednesday morning.”

“I can see how that would be very attractive to my son with the bottomless stomach.” She teases Travis as she guides us to the dining room. 

“Seeing as my wife would prefer us to be on first name basis, my name is Troy.” His father says, taking my hand in a soft handshake.

We sit down to a stir fry supper, I note some new spices I’ve never had before in the aroma of the dish.

“We like to zip things up around here. That’s not too spicy for you, is it Rose?” Liz asks mildly concerned.

“Three time winner of the Spice Festival’s Curry Championships.”I smile. “This is great!” I compliment her. 

“You are full of surprises.” Troy says with a smile. 

I dig into the food with gusto, I’d not eaten all day, and the workout really built up an appetite.” 

“So, Rose…” Liz starts. _Here it comes._ “The last time you had supper here you said you were dating some girl…” 

I stop eating. “Umm.. Well, at the time I was.” I say looking down at my plate.

“What happened?” Liz probes for more.

“Travis happened.” I look up at him and we share a loving smile. “I never expected to develop feelings for him as we started to cycle and spend more time together outside of school…” I say looking back at his parents. “But it soon became apparent that we shared a deeper connection than just friends.” 

“And…” Liz wants to see where this is going. 

“When I admitted my feelings for Travis to my girlfriend… well, she got angry and broke off our relationship.” I say sadly. 

“Are you sad that you’re no longer with this girl Rose?” asks Troy. 

“In a way yes, cause I did care for her dearly, I thought I loved her.” I say playing with the food in my plate.

“I feel there’s a ‘but’ in there.” Liz says. 

“I’ve never felt so deeply for anyone since Travis and I started dating.” I say looking at him. He reaches out his hand and I take hold of it. 

“So, you love my son?” Troy continues. “Is that why you slept with him?” 

“Dad….” Travis frowns. 

“You are both way to young to have a sexual relationship.” Troy frowns. “What happens if you get her pregnant son? Are you ready to make that commitment?”

“I do love your son, but Travis can’t get me pregnant.” I say quietly. “I’m not able to bear him or anyone a child.”

“Rose…” Travis starts. 

“No, they need to know this, that the one thing that parents worry about the most isn’t going to happen. Why I never dated a boy before I met you. I can’t get pregnant... Ever.” 

“Is that why you look more masculine than other girls? Why you are so muscular? It’s a physical reproductive problem?” Troy asks. 

“Something along those lines. My body doesn’t produce enough estrogen on it’s own. I wasn’t born with ovaries. This summer I started hormone treatments to reverse my androgyny. But even with the treatments that I’m on, I can’t ever carry a child of my own.” 

I probably should tell them the rest of it, but this is a good start. I glance over to Travis and he’s smiling at my crafty way of not admitting the real reason is that I have a penis right now.

“And you knew son?” His father asks. 

“She told me a week and a half ago. The Friday before I slept over at her place.” Travis says with a straight face. 

“This doesn’t bother you?” Liz says with a frown. “She was your first...” 

“Rose was my first everything mother. I love her so much, that no, her admitting that she can’t get pregnant, doesn’t affect our relationship, in fact it takes that stress off of our intimate time together.” Travis finishes for her. 

“When were you going to tell us?” Liz asks. 

“We wanted to make sure that our love was real.” I say. 

“And for her girlfriend to finally leave her.” Travis adds. 

“I see.” Liz says taking a bite of supper.

“I came on to Travis.” I say at last. “He would have been too shy to ask me himself.” 

“Oh, that much is clear with how you are the one leading this conversation.” Liz looks at me. “Because of your health issues, you’ve always had to be a strong woman. I can imagine that you usually get what you are going for…” 

“Not always.” I reply. “The day Travis and I met, we connected as friends. Then I started feeling something else from him.” I take a bite. “I was honest with you the last time I was here. I’ve never had a boyfriend before. I didn’t know what my feeling were, but the more I got to know your son, the more I wanted to be with him. It confused me at first. Normally I am drawn towards women, I couldn’t understand what it was about him that made him so different.”

“So what changed?” Troy is now curious.

“On a whim I kissed him.” I look at Travis. “The first kiss left us both confused, but then something just triggered in me. And I wanted more.” 

“She’s an amazing girl Dad.” Travis says looking at me affectionately. “She’s so good at so many things, I don’t know what I did that no one else has, but I count myself lucky that I’m the one she’s fallen in love with.” 

“I see.” His father says at last. “Where do you see your relationship going?” 

“I think we need to worry about graduation before we worry about it going further. Or maybe even University, I plan to go back to Britechester and attend Foxbury like my brother does.”

He looks at me. “Oh, so you have future plans?” 

“I want to become a programmer, like Travis.” I smile. 

“She’s incredible Dad, you should see the code she’s written!” Travis starts excitedly. “She’s wowed all the guys at the computer club.” 

I blush as Liz watches the exchange and smiles. “So, is it because of Travis’ interests in computers that you find him so attractive?”

I blush again. “Travis being a geek was just the start. He’s soft hearted, and romantic with just enough artistic talent to not get bored when I’m sketching.” I look at her. “He’s not like any other boy I’ve met.” 

“Considering you’re unlike any girl we’ve met, I guess you two are a good match. Most of the girls at school found him too shy.” 

“Travis has surprised me on a few occasions.” I give him a seductive smile, and he blushes. I stroke the back of his hand with my thumb affectionately.

Liz smiles. “You two make a lovely couple.”

“I also appreciate what you’ve done for Travis towards his health.” Troy smiles. “It explains his sudden appreciation for healthier foods.” 

I blush. “I have ADD, I need to avoid too much sugar. I match my glucose consumption with my exercise routine, to give me enough active fats and sugars to fuel my activities.”

Liz listens to me as she eats. “Interesting, you are ever such a mystery.”

Travis chuckles. “Just when I think I have her figured out she comes up with something unexpected.” 

“Now that I know what I can expect from the two of you.” Liz starts. “I approve of your relationship.” She looks at the two of us, and I feel there’s something more. “One thing though Travis dear.” 

“Yes mom?” he gives her a puzzled look.

“You can’t just sleep with her when you feel like it. Even though she can’t get pregnant, you’re still too young to be sexually active.” 

Travis blushes. Yes mom.”

We finish up supper with me telling them about my weekend activities up in Britechester. My cover of not having ovaries makes my needing to see a specialist a non-issue. Too bad I can’t use that line on my girlfriends. While I can’t get pregnant, they certainly still can with what I have between my legs.

After supper he drives me home.

“Have I said enough how amazing you are?” Travis says with a smile as he drives.

“I still love to hear it.” I say with a smile. 

“However did you come up with the lack of ovaries idea?” he says surprised. “I was worried you’d have to tell my parents that your trans, and then my dad accusing me of being gay… you just completely took that argument out of the equation.” 

I reach over and play with his hair. “Travis, when I get my surgeries done, that is the only thing that will differ me from a genetic girl.”

“So I guess we won’t have any children of our own.” He says with a grim smile.

“I’m sorry Travis, that is the one thing I’ll never be able to give you.” I say apologetically. 

“I thought you wanted a family.” He gives me a side glance. 

“I would, but that would mean I would have to keep a relationship with one of my girlfriends, would you be okay to have a child in the house that’s not biologically yours?”

“You and Cassandra would make beautiful children.” He says with a smile. 

I give him a smile. “You don’t think I’ll have a child with Leilani?” 

“You, Cassandra and I are going to Foxbury after graduation, Leilani’s most likely staying here in Willow Creek, the chance of Cassandra getting pregnant is greater.” 

“You’ve put some thought into this, haven’t you?” I give him a loving smile. 

“Rose, I love you beyond anything I could every have imagined. Please, don’t ever let me go.” He glances over at me. 

“You are the first man in my life who has ever shown me unquestionable love dearest. Why would I ever let you go?” I say affectionately. 

“The first man in your life.” Travis says surprised. 

“My brother doesn’t count.” I say teasingly. 

Travis chuckles as he pulls into my driveway. “You are amazing.” 

I lean forward and whisper suggestively in his ear. “Come in for a nightcap?” 

His smile widens. “I see you are in a better mood now.” 

“I’m sorry my love, it’s been a stressful day, If you felt left out…” I say with a sad face.

“You are adorable.” He turns and gives me a passionate kiss. 

I whimper and return his affection. Oh, thank heavens! His scent has been turning me on so much since we left his place.

We break our kiss, and then we get out of the van. I grab my bags, and we walk hand-in-hand to the door. 

I drop my bags by the door and we resume our passionate kissing, as I slowly backup towards the bedroom. First thing to come off is his shirt, and I start caressing his chest as we reach the living room. 

“You are developing beautiful muscles.” I say in a husky voice. 

“So you want brawn and brains do you?” He says teasingly, taking off my top. 

“Eventually.” I purr seductively. 

“You are a horrible influence.” He says kissing along my neck, reaching for my bra clasp. 

“I haven’t heard you complain.” I tease him. 

He cups my breasts, fondling them gently for a moment. His hands slide under my arms and down my back, looking for the back zipper of my skirt. 

“I need to find some way to keep up with you..” He smiles as he finds his target. 

I reach down between us and unbutton his pants I hook his underwear with my thumbs and push both bottoms down in one shove. I bring my hands forward, he’s already hard. I grab hold of his member, he steps out of his clothes as I guide him to the bed. 

I sit down on the bed and take his cock in my mouth. I can’t believe how much I’ve grown to love doing this. And start sucking him off. I don’t know if it was because of my night with Lee, or because he’s so horny, but it takes him no time to get off. And it wasn’t a small load!

“Wow!” he breaths, holding my shoulders to keep himself up. “That felt really incredible!”

“Have you been holding on to that all weekend? That was quite the load you gave me there.” I say provocatively. 

“I gave up masturbation.” Travis admits. “I can’t get anywhere close the pleasure myself as what you give me.”

I lay in bed and he follows me, laying on top of me and kissing me passionately. Our hands roam all over our bodies, and I revel in how he feels so much better than what I experienced this weekend. He starts to kiss down my neck again, and I let go a low moan as he finds the sensitive spot just above my collar bone. He continues to kiss his way down, and I play with his hair as he brings pleasure my body. I’ve so missed his touch! It feels so much more exhilarating, like my body has been yearning for him. If loving him is going to keep feeling like this, no other man is going to please me again. He teases my breasts, he’s the only lover I’ve known to build up so much need in me that when I get off… I let go a loud moan as he captures my nipple and finally gives me release. I don’t have time to come down from my first orgasm before he’s attacking the other. I dig my fingers into the sheets and let out a gasp and cry of passion as he gets me off even harder. 

He’s gently kissing his way up as I come back down from from my release. 

“I never knew I could have that powerful of an orgasm with someone playing with my breasts.” I say dreamily. 

“I didn’t tease you too much did I?” Travis says in a seductive tone. 

“Oh, that was intense!” I smile and pull him up for a kiss.

Once we start kissing I wrap my arms around him, I roll us over and he lets go a deep sigh as we continue to passionately kiss one another. I can feel the need in his motions as his hands roam my back. 

I break from his embrace and slide down his body, I get this mischievous grin on my face, and he looks at me curiously, till he feels me press his hardening member between my breast. I start tit-fucking his growing hardness as he moans, I hope if feels as good for him as it does for me, the grinding of my nipples as I slide up and down has me near orgasmic. 

When he’s fully hard, I stop my motions and he whimpers at the end of his pleasure. I reach into my night table and pull out the small tube of lube. I’m glad my brother hadn’t noticed this tucked in my groceries on Sunday..

I first pull my panties off and hold my cock out of the way as I straddle his body. I reach back and squirt a bit of lube on his member, he takes a deep breath as the cool gel touches his sensitive gland. I rise up positioning him at my entrance. 

“Let me warm that back up.” I say in a sultry voice. 

I rub his gel coated knob around my entrance, getting my opening nice and buttered up. He moans at the feeling, I can see his hips move up and down, trying to push up into me. 

“You want it?” I say teasingly. 

“Yes!” he moans eager for the pleasure he knows is to come. 

“Tell me you want me!” I continue to tease him.

“I want you!” he says in a husky voice. 

He reaches out and grabs my hips and suddenly pushes up. I squeal and gasp as he penetrates my entrance and moan as I feel him slowly sink in deeper. 

“Hmm… yess” I moan in pleasure, and put my hands on his chest as he guides the pace of our love making. He painstakingly, gradually pushes himself deeper into me. I can see on his face that he’s concentrating on the pleasure he’s giving me, I try to push myself down further, but his hands on my hips stop me and I whimper for more. 

“Oh, you want more.” He says, his voice thick with lust.

“Yess.” I say pleadingly. 

“You sure?” He continues. Gods he can be such a tease! 

“I want you deep inside of me!” I whimper. 

“Okay.” His voice changes, and sudden pushes me down. 

I yelp at the sudden motion, but not in pain. I suddenly feel his cock buried to the hilt. I reach down and stop my now hard cock from slapping his stomach. And let out a long drawn moan as he fills me. Apparently that’s the most he could hold back, and he grunts, I feel his member throb. I gasp and coo as I feel his cock throb with every single spurt. My body shudders with a small orgasm, I let go a satisfying sigh as I feel his warmth fill my insides. I notice that he’s release his hold on my hips, so I give him a lustful look 

“Now it’s my turn.” I say huskily. “I’m going to fuck you like you never been fucked before.” 

I start riding him, going up and down the full length of his member. Pulling myself up till he almost pops out, only to push myself down hard as I let gravity take over. I increase my pace and he starts to breath hard as the intense feeling of his entire member being stroked up and down puts him in the throws of ecstasy. I am breathing hard, our moans and cries of pleasure fill the room as I keep going faster. I resist clawing my nails into his chest keeping my palm flat against him as I use his chest as leverage. 

I feel my orgasm coming before I feel his. It starts in my toes, and works its way up, my hole tightens around his member, and he lets go a long groan and pushes up into me hard as I come down. I didn’t think it was possible but this orgasm is even bigger than his first two as I feel him fill me. The rest of my orgasm takes over my body as I see stars, I can’ hold myself up any longer, I feel my own member spray up along my arm as I fall forward on to him. His hands come up and slide along my body to keep me from just collapsing on top of him. We keep pushing into each other till we are both spent.

When I come to, Travis has his arms around me. Our heads are leaning against each other, my chin on his shoulder as we slowly regain our breaths. He’s slowly caressing my back and gives my cheek a kiss. I give his shoulder a few kisses and work my way up to his face and kiss him softly, gently. 

“Wow!” is all I can say. “I can’t believe how hard you got off!”

“The things you do to me.” He says letting out a long breath. 

I rub my nose on his affectionately. “I love you so much.” I say softly. “I never thought I could every love a man the way I love you.” 

He looks up at me curiously. “That surprises you, doesn’t it?”

“I spent more than 4 years telling my parents that I wasn’t gay and actually found men slightly repulsive.” 

Travis frowns. “Really? You could have fooled me.” He says with a sheepish grin. 

“When I became a woman, my attraction to you took me by surprise. I spent the first week denying it.” I say laying down on his chest, kissing his skin softly. “And then you surprised me by asking me in for supper.” I look up at him. “I’ve never had a male friend ask me that before.” I kiss his sweaty chin. “Then, in your room, you just smelled so good, this little switch triggered inside of me. Suddenly I so desperately wanted you like I’ve never wanted someone before.”

“Even Leilani?” he says surprised. 

“She came on to me. My affections for Leilani have almost always been reactive.” I push myself up on my elbows so that I can look into his eyes again. “I’ve never wanted someone the way I’ve wanted you.” 

Travis’ beautiful ocean blue eyes look up into mine. “Really?” he says softly. 

“Really.” I say lovingly. “So, when you ask me to never let you go… I don’t think I could, even if I wanted to.”

“Do you believe in true love?” Travis asks me tenderly. 

“I never thought it existed, not till I met you.” I reply lovingly. 

Travis smiles and kisses my nose, and then moves his chin so that we can kiss. Our kiss is soft, sweet, loving, and makes my toes curl.   
When we break our kiss I lay back down against him, letting go a deep sigh of content. 

“Travis?” I say after a few minutes.

“Humm?” he says sleepily. 

“I need to tell you something about what happened this weekend.” 

I feel his body language shift with his worry. “Why what happened this weekend?”

“I did something foolishly stupid that I hope you will forgive me for.” I say in a serious tone. “First I got drunk.” I look up at him and he glances down at me. 

“You did, did you?” he says calmly. 

“So, when my friend Diane came on to me, I was in no way prepared to deny her.”

I glance up, he’s staring at the ceiling. “She’s one of your transgender group friends, right?” 

“Yes.” I say, caressing his arm. 

“Meaning you slept with another transgender girl like yourself?” he continues. 

“Yes.” I look up to him. “I did for her what you do for me. And.. Well, she really enjoyed it.” I say with a slight guilty voice. 

Travis frowns. “You took your friend Diane’s cherry?” and he sighs as it dawns on him. “And now she loves you almost as deeply as you love me.”

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have.” I say apologetically. 

“What chance do you have in seeing her again?” he asks still frowning. 

“3 months from now, during winter break.” I say softly. 

“So, not any time soon.” He sighs. “Do you love her?”

“I don’t know. We only slept together one night.” I say hesitantly. 

“What, you didn’t spend the whole weekend with her?” Travis sounds a bit surprised.

“Well, that happened Friday night, after the club.” I answer. “Nothing happened Thursday night when I got there, it was too late for anything.”

“What about Saturday?” Travis asks, stroking my hair. 

“I bumped into Jun & Lee. The brothers work at the local bistro close to where I spent the summer with my brother.”

“And?” I can feel his body tense. 

“This is where you might get upset with me, but I sleep with Lee that night.” Worry carries over on my voice, and I prepare for him to get upset.

“You slept with another man?” Travis says surprised. 

“Well, had sex with another man would be better fitting.” I say in response. 

“Oh? So, you don’t have feelings for this Lee?” Travis frowns. 

“No. We used condoms and it didn’t feel anything like when you make love to me. I think he got more out of it than I did.” 

“You mean, you fucked him?” Travis sounds surprised. 

I shrug. “Lee’s bisexual, he doesn’t mind a bit of cock now and then.” 

“You’re not expecting me….” Travis starts. 

“I will never ask you to do something you are uncomfortable with my love. I love you, I don’t need that kind of satisfaction to please you. Besides, I’m not keeping this thing. You’re the only one of my lovers who will never miss my penis.”

“Which is why you see us having more of a future than your girlfriends?” he says playing with my hair again. 

“When I have my surgeries, I’m going to take away the one thing they enjoy the most, but you won’t. In fact, I’ll finally have the right hole to please you with.” 

“You know, I kind of like the hole you have now.” He says with a grin. “You are so amazingly tight back there!”

“So, do you forgive me?” I say hesitantly.

“Why is it you always butter me up with amazing sex before you ask for my forgiveness?” Travis says with a smile. 

“Helps put you in a better mood?” I say with a smile.

Travis chuckles. “You are adorable. How can I ever stay mad with you?” He takes a deep breath and hugs me tight to his body. 

“Do you have to go home tonight?” I ask in a small voice, hugging him close to me. 

There’s a chime coming from his phone. I roll off of him, whimpering as he slides out of my hole. I grab the sheets and pull them on top of me. Without his body heat, the room is suddenly chilly. He gets up and goes to retrieve his phone from his pants at the thresh hold of the living room. He reads the screen for a moment, and then leans his arm against the door, chuckling. 

I look over at him puzzled. “Who’s texting you at this hour?” 

“My mother.” Travis says shake his head. 

“She’s probably upset with how long you’ve been gone, isn’t she? You have to leave now.” I say sadly.

“She says you better not complain if I snore tonight.” He looks at me, as another message comes in. “And after this, no delays in coming home. I’m to return the van after the movie tomorrow night.” 

I lay there stunned. Did his mother just tell him she doesn’t expect him home tonight?”

Travis puts his phone on my dresser. “You know what this means?” 

“Hmmm..” I start…” 

He dashes up to the bed and hops onto it beside me. I squeal and giggle as he suddenly grabs me playfully. The giggles turn to sighs and moans as he starts kissing along my neck. 

“Ready for a second round?” he says suggestively. 

“I never thought you’d ask.” I say lovingly.

I pull him in for a kiss….


	4. September's End

I wake up to a song about September’s End. I reach over and turn off the alarm, I feel arms close around me and pull me back close to his body. I relax into his arms and let out a deep sigh of content. Laying in Travis’ embrace feels just so right. I find myself wishing I could wake up in these arms every morning. 

Sadly, I have to work. With some effort I squeeze out from his grasp. He whimpers at the loss of my body heat. As I slide out of the bed, he grabs my pillow, inhales deeply and smiles.   
He is so angelic when he sleeps. I wish I didn’t have to leave his side this morning. 

I pad to the bathroom and take a quick shower. I feel my backside ooze, just how much did he leave in me last night!? I lost count after our 5th round…. Travis was insatiable last night, he made love to me like we would never get a chance like this again - only stopping because we were too tired, too thirsty, or too hungry to continue. I’m pretty sure I only got 2 or 4 hours of sleep all told. Yet, I feel so refreshed and rested today. Like all the stress and worries that had been building up have all disappeared. 

I give Travis a kiss on the forehead after I get dressed into my work clothes and head out this morning. It’s drizzling this morning, So I slip my new rain gear on. This outfit is so amazingly snug, with a silicone coating, it should keep my body dry, including my feet with the slip covers. The outfit matches my bike and helmet.

I get to work early and park my bike, I hope Beth is already here, it’s going to take a bit of work to strip my rain gear off. I am happy when I see the office light on, and so I knock on the door to get Beth’s attention. 

I soon spot Beth approaching the door. I’ve gotten used to seeing Beth sort of depressed on rainy days, but the look on her face this morning has me worried. She gives me a weak smile as she unlocks the door, and I squeeze in. She quickly closes the door behind me. 

“Why the long face?” I ask Beth with a touch of concern. 

“Monique called yesterday afternoon and quit.” Beth says with a frown. “Now I have to find a new morning person for you to work with.” 

“She quit?!” I stand there shocked, dripping on to the floor. 

“So, I guess we both lose out on what your brother wanted you to do yesterday.” She says sadly. 

“I… I’m sorry.” I say, putting my head down. “I should have seen this coming as well.” 

Beth gives me a weak smile. “How much longer did you think you were going to pull off sneaking behind her back? Hmm? It was bound to happen soon or later.” 

“I guess you’re right.” I say with a sad sigh. 

“Come on, lets get you out of those wet clothes.” Beth says, changing the subject. 

I slip out of the rain sleeves over my feet, and follow my sister to the office. 

“Considering her reason for quitting, I take it she broke up with you as well.” Beth asks and I nod. 

I start peeling off the slicker. “We didn’t even get a block away from work before she needed to know why I was so upset yesterday.” I pull off the splash pants. “I guess it’s better this way. I think her blow out would have been worse had I waited till we got all the way home.” 

Beth looks at me closely as I try to tidy up my hair in the mirror on the wall. “You seem rather chipper considering yesterday’s events.” 

I blush. “Umm.. Sorry, yesterday was an emotion filled day. First my fight with Monique, then dealing with the rumours at school, admitting my relationship with my boyfriend to his parents, telling them that I can’t get pregnant…” 

“And yet, you are nearly floating on cloud nine this morning.” Beth says narrowing her eyes. 

“Well, my friends at school have told me that they will still stand by me no matter what. Including my soccer and future volley ball teams.” 

“I feel you’re not telling me the whole story.” Beth nudges for more as I pull on my apron. 

“I ‘may’ have slept with a boyfriend last night and woke up in his arms this morning…” I say blushing as I put on my cap.

Beth smiles and shakes her head. 

“What?!” I attempt to say in an innocent tone. 

“Don’t play coy with my sister, you got laid last night, and that’s why you’re all happy, and feeling good.” 

“Well, not all feeling good, my rump’s a pretty tender this morning.” I say in a frown.

Beth looses it and nearly falls out of her chair laughing. 

I leave the office having successfully brightened Beth’s mood, and start up the machines for the day. I turn on the lights, but leave the sandwich board inside. With today’s rain, the beautiful work I’ve done in chalk would just get ruined. 

By the time Beth as stopped her giggles, the first batch of coffee is ready for her to fill her mug with. She smiles at me and shakes her head.

“You are the only one I know outside of your brother who knows how to change my mood and make me smile when I’m down like that.” 

“You’re welcome.” I say giving her a grin.

“I’ve never figured out how you two do it. And don’t say it’s cause you’re a bard..” She gives me a stern finger warning.

“Situational comedy.” I smile. “Find something humorous to break the tension.” 

“You make that sound easy.” Beth says thoughtfully. 

“Helps when you have a creative mind that goes in 5 different directions at any given time.” I give her a wink. 

Beth smiles and shakes her head. She fills her cup and adds creamer. “I have a help wanted add out, so I’ll lend you a hand till we get a new hire.” Beth says still smiling. 

“Sounds great, I love it when you are up here at the counter, so do the customers.” I say, as I clean and polish things up for the day. “Shouldn’t be too busy today though, not with this weather.”

And I was right. The muggy weather reduced our usual traffic by half, I could pretty much handle it myself till Lisa got in to replace me at the end of my 2 hour shift. It’s Tuesday, so Liberty should be in soon as well. 

The rain hasn’t let up, so I gear myself back up into my rain suit. 

“That outfit looks much better than that oversized yellow rain slicker outfit you wore the first time.” Beth comments with a smile. 

“It’s specifically designed for cycling.” I grin. “It moves so much easier, coming from the women’s rack it also fits better!” 

“So it’s actually designed for the burgeoning bosom of yours then.” Beth teases me. 

“They itch and hurt every time they grow.” I say with a frown. “I’ve already had to buy new bras this weekend.” 

Beth starts giggling. “Girl, you are just too much with your unfiltered puberty comments.”

“I’ve never had anyone else in my life to teach me about girl stuff, this is all new to me.” I say quietly, slipping on the shoe covers. 

Beth gets up and gives me a hug as I stand up. “Oh darlin’, I know. Just nice to see a touch of innocence come from you now and then.” 

“Thanks.” I smile and return the hug. “I need to go wake up my boyfriend now.” 

Beth sighs. “And the sweet innocent girl is gone again.” 

“Sorry.” I say with a half smile. “See you tomorrow.” 

I wave to a few of our regulars as I leave the coffee shop. Today just didn’t feel the same without Monique. I miss her. I guess that’s why she quit. It’s for the best I suppose, I can only imagine how hostile work would be with her being mad at me the whole shift. Or worse, her being tempted to forgive me - something I doubt she’s ready for any time soon. 

I get home and, sure enough, Travis is still fast asleep. I get out of my rain gear, and hang it up in the mud room area of the entrance. I’d normally hang it up in the bathroom, but I’m pretty sure he’ll want a shower this morning. 

He’s sleeping on his back by the time I come back into the bedroom, and his hard-on is tenting the sheets. 

_Hmmm.. Breakfast._ The dirty little nymph in my brain says. I get undressed out of my work clothes, and slide into bed under the sheets. I curl my hands around his hardness and he doesn’t respond. I start jacking him off as I slide down under the covers. 

I hear him moan and sigh as I start to kiss it. As I slowly draw him deeper in my mouth, his hands instinctively entwine in my hear and hold my head. I hear a change in his breathing. 

“Rose?” He asks in a sleepy voice?

“Yes my love?” I reply, letting go of his morning wood. 

“What are you doing?” He says in a confused voice. 

“Getting some protein for breakfast.” I say with a grin, poking my head out of the sheets. 

Travis starts to grin. “You naughty little redhead.” 

“Do you want me to stop?” I say quirking an eyebrow. I wiggle his cock playfully in my fingers. 

Travis takes a deep breath and sighs. “No, don’t stop.” 

“Okay!” I grin and dip back under the covers and go back to what I was doing. 

With him awake, Travis moans as I start sucking him off again. I tease him a little, and he starts to whimper as I keep him just about to get off, but hold back. 

“Stop teasing.” His voice tinged with passion and frustration. 

“You want it?” I say teasingly. 

“Yes!” he moans. 

“You sure?” I coax him. 

“Don’t leave me horny like this for the morning!” he pleads. 

“Okay!” I grin again, and double up on my attack on his cock. 

He lets out a deep long moan, grabs hold of my head and has a powerful orgasm. 

I moan happily and swallow his load. 

When he’s spent, I slide back up his body and give him a kiss. His arms wrap around me and he returns the kiss passionately. 

“Good morning lover.” I say sweetly as we break our kiss. 

“Good morning”, he says with a wide smile. “If only I could wake up like this more often.” He says dreamily. 

“Did you sleep well?” I ask him. It feels so good, so comforting to be held in his arms. I wish we could just stay like this all day.

“Curled up against you. I don’t think I moved much when I fell asleep, and I usually toss and turn all night long.” He smiles. 

“Do you want a shower before or after breakfast.” I ask as I give him a squeeze.

“You mean we have to leave the bed?” He asks, giving me puppy dog eyes. 

“We need to go to school silly, yes we have to leave the bed.” I reply giving his shoulder a light playful nibble.

Travis gives a long sigh of discontent. “Fine.” He looks at me. “On one condition.” 

“What’s that?” I ask curiously. 

“I want you to be my girlfriend at school.” He says in a serious tone. “After last night, you can’t ask me to bottle up my feelings for you today.” 

I give him a long look, he searches my emerald eyes for my answer. I smile and give him a soft, loving kiss. 

“Okay.” I reach out and play with his hair. 

He kisses me and smiles. “Thank you.” He kisses me again. “Let’s have breakfast first.”

We get out of bed and I toss him my robe as I slip into my nigh shirt. The rainy day has made the house damp and chilly. 

“Hot or cold breakfast my love?” I ask him as we reach the kitchen. 

“Hmm.. If it means your cookin’ I want some hot stuff from my hot stuff.” He says seductively. 

I giggle at his antics, and I start an omelet in one pan, while putting some hash-browns on the griddle. This gives Travis time to take care of his morning business. He comes out of the bathroom, and he’s smelling the sleeve of my robe. 

“Everything you touch smells like strawberries.” He says with a smile. 

He watches my motions and puts his arms around me, kissing my neck. I lean against him and give a small moan. 

“I could learn to love mornings like this with you.” I turn my head and we kiss. “Now get the plates from the left of the sink, breakfast is nearly ready.” 

“Yes dear.” He smiles. 

He holds the plates above the stove as I separate our breakfast into two portions. I get out some juice as he puts the plates down. 

“Cutlery is in the drawer beside me.” I point to the right of me as I get glasses down for us. 

He does as requested, getting us forks as I pour our glasses. We sit down and start eating, holding hands as we do. 

“You’re eating with your left hand.” He notes with a smile. “But I’ve seen you write with the other hand.” 

“Left handed writing is messy.” I reply taking a sip of juice.

“You have a point there.” 

We chat about what movie we want to see while we finish eating. Travis suggest we go see Deep Sea 9 that came out on Friday. I think it’s a great idea. We chat on what we’ve seen of the trailers so far and debate what else the movie might have. We’re back to our regular geek selves as Travis starts on special effects and how realistic the movie seems to portray actual undersea pressure. We debate just how deep the vessels will be. 

We almost loose track of time, when there is a familiar knock on the door. I look up at the clock. 

“Leilani saw your van, we still have nearly an hour to leave with you driving this morning.” I comment. 

“I’ll get it.” Travis smiles. 

“Okay, I’ll quickly get these washed then.” I answer him, starting to clean up the table. 

“Travis!” Leilani says in surprise. 

I hear them kiss. Well, she still got her good morning kiss, just not with who she was expecting. I dry my hands and join them in the hall. 

“Leilani my dear, you’re early, we haven’t had our shower yet.” I say to her. She gives Travis one last kiss and comes to hug me lovingly. 

She gives me a deep kiss. “I guess I need to work on my timing better with you two.” She smiles. 

“If I recall, that shower is big enough for the three of us.” Travis says suggestively. 

“Now Travis. Here I thought my girlfriend was the kinky one.” Leilani says seductively. 

I look at the two of them thoughtfully. Travis looks at me worried for a moment that he may have made the wrong suggestion and relaxes when I smile. 

“Sure, let’s give it a try.” 

This wouldn’t be the first time the 3 of us were naked together, and most likely not going to be the last the way these two are. I take Leilani’s hand and her and Travis following me to the bedroom to get undressed. 

“Have you started your cycle yet?” I ask her as I start taking off her shirt while Travis nibbles her neck from behind. 

“I started today, how did you know?” Leilani says between moans of what Travis is doing to her body. 

“The first time we made love, you said you had just finished your cycle on Friday. Meaning this week would be the start of it.” I say with a smile as I start kissing down her front. 

She gasps as I reach her breasts. “Hmm… what is going through your dirty mind.” She smiles and moans.

“You’ll see.” I give her a grin. Travis looks at me questioningly. I reach behind me and give her tush a squeeze. She moans, but he gets my hint, and grins. Yes, we’re really going to have fun in the shower this morning. While I am sucking on her breasts, and pulling down her bottoms, he goes to retrieve the lube. 

When Travis comes back with the tube, I stop teasing my girlfriend and bring her into the shower. As the water reaches temperature, I push her in first with Travis behind me. Having my lovers soap me up front and back at the same time feels amazing. It’s the dirtiest clean fun I’ve ever experienced.

“What are you planning?” Travis whispers in my ears as Leilani reaches for more soap. 

“Once we get started, I’m going to spin around and give you a shot at her backside.” I whisper in his ear as I lean back and nibble his neck. 

The response of his hardening meat tells me he likes the idea. 

“Leilani, Travis needs to wash you back.” I say provocatively. 

She moans as we switch places, kissing passionately. She is so turned on that, when she feels his hard-on she moans and pushes back, riding his length up and down between her cheeks. 

“I think she’s ready.” I say to him.

“Ready for what?” She asks dreamily. 

I pick her up and her legs wrap around me instinctively as I push at her entrance. 

“Oh.. I’ve missed this she sighs” as I start pushing into her hole. 

Travis wraps his arms around her waist, and aims his hard-on for her backside. Letting the lube butter her entrance as he moves the gland around her hole.

“Wait, Travis, what are you doing.” Leilani says in confusion. 

“You said I’m not allowed in the front hole, but how about the back one?” he says seductively, pushing gently, but not penetrating her till he has her permission. 

My pushing into her, pushes her against his knob a little harder and she moans. 

“Put it in before I change my mind, and you better make it good or it’s your last time back there mister.” She says in a commanding lustful tone. 

“As you wish milady.” Travis says in the voice he used for Thornton in game, and that just turns her on more. 

She gasps as his knob pushes past her entrance, and lets go a long moan of pleasure as he starts to slide in deeper. I can feel his cock moving inside of her. I can imagine the double penetration must feel even better what they do to me, cause suddenly Leilani reaches back with one hand, grabbing his butt trying to pull him in deeper. Her other arm tightens around the back of my neck, and her fingers dig into my shoulder as she continues to gasp and moan. It takes a moment for Travis and I to coordinate our actions, but soon, we’re in sync with one another as we pull out and push into her. The feeling is out of this world amazing. Leilani has already started orgasming and my boyfriend and I are not far behind. 

I feel his throb before mine, and we both empty into her as she squeals at the feeling of being filled at both ends. This is the best orgasm yet since the three of us have started having sex together. 

Travis and I lean against the shower wall, trying to recover, breathing hard. Leilani is still pinned between us, and her legs release me as she starts to slumps down. Travis catches her before she starts to slip off of him and we just hold each other for what feels like a small eternity as we regain our composure. 

“Wow!” Leilani is the first to break the silence. “That was bloody amazing, I’ve never felt so full before!” 

“So you approve?” Travis says in a soft voice.

“If that’s what Rose feels when you come into her from behind, I can see why she loves it so much.” Leilani lets go a long sigh of satisfaction. 

“Next time lets not do it in the shower though, I’m not sure I could take more than what we did this morning.” He groans making her and I giggle.

I look at my watch. “Okay, lets finish getting washed up, before we’re late.”

Leilani wimpers as we let her go and slip out of her. And we work at washing our parts. It’s a good thing we did it in the shower. With her on her period, we’re both covered in blood and need to wash it off. It’s a tight fit, but we form a circle, washing each other’s hair at the same time. I unhook the shower head from its cradle and we pass it around rinsing each other off. 

We then dry each other off. And start to get dressed. I’m looking through my old shirts to give Travis a clean one when Leilani’s expression suddenly changes. 

“When you move to Winslow Manor, we’re not going to be able to do this again. Are we?” her voice suddenly sad. 

“It might be awhile before we get the chance to do this again.” I say calmly, trying not to let my emotions show, as I pull a black t-shirt from the box. 

I hand Travis the t-shirt. The front has an Atari logo on it, with an old analogue joystick. A large glow-in-the-dark 8-bit Space Invaders alien is on the back. 

“Hows this honey?” I ask as he looks it over. 

“You are definitely a geek after my own heart darlin’. Your taste in gamer fashion is just as good as your taste in women’s wear.” He says with a grin, pulling the shirt on.   
Tim had told us Sunday night in game that he’s bringing lunch today. So we don’t have to worry about that as we head out to pick Cassandra up.


	5. Tuesday at School

“What movie are the 3 of you going to see tonight?” Leilani asks from the back seat. I’m sitting up front with my boyfriend. 

“Deep Sea 9.” Travis replies. 

I look back and see the disappointment in her face. 

“There’s a fantasy romance coming out next week love, a something about a unicorn.” I say to her. 

“It’s a remake of The Last Unicorn.” Travis says. “I’m game, but I’m not sure that Cassandra will go for that kind of movie.”

“We’ll have to just wait and see.” I say with a smile as we pull up to her place. 

Sure enough, both of the Goth children are waiting for us. Cassandra gives me a slight disappointed look when I don’t surrender the front passenger seat. She doesn’t argue or complain though as she gets in beside Leilani while Alexander gets in the back. 

“Good morning.” They say to us together. 

“Good morning.” We reply in turn. 

Cassandra takes a deep breath, then leans towards Leilani and smells her clothes. 

“This whole van smells like a field of strawberries, what have you three been up to this morning?” Casssandra says, quirking an eyebrow. 

“Showering with friends conserves water.” Leilani says cheekily, holding her usual candid comments as Alexander’s sitting behind her. 

“I should have known you all would be up to something. Which means Travis wasn’t in his own bed last night, was he?”

“Whatever gives you that idea my darling?” I say calmly, trying to hide the smile forming on my face.

“Outside of the Atari t-shirt I’ve never seen him wear? The way you two are this morning.” Cassandra says. “Normally you don’t hesitate in my sitting beside my best friend, but this morning you two are acting like a couple.” 

“I wanted to enjoy some attention from my girlfriend for a change.” Says Travis. “And she agreed.” 

“I see.” Cassandra’s face drops. 

Leilani leans against her. “That’s okay, he’s going to get both of us on him today. After what he did for me in the shower this morning. You still get to hold on to Rose’s other side.” 

Cassandra gives her a sidelong glance. “Oh really?” She starts to smile, looks back at Alexander and says to her. “Tell me later when young ears aren’t around.” 

“Awe!” Says Alexander. “Why do I always get left out!?” He looks thoughtful for a moment. “It’s mushy stuff, isn’t it?” 

“You are ever so perceptive young padawan.” I say with a grin. And he beams at the geek reference. 

“Wait.. Does that mean I’m no longer a squirt?” he says with a hopeful look.

“What, you rather be my padawan learner?” I say looking back at him. 

“You’re helping me to learn music….” He says reinforcing his request. 

Cassandra giggles and nods, so I smile. “Padawan of music it is my young friend.” 

“Yay!” he says nearly dancing in his seat.

We drop Alexander off and school, and then Travis goes and parks as close to our school’s doors as student parking allows. We dash into the school, avoiding busses and other cars. 

“You have made Alexander’s year, you know.” Cassandra grins. “Calling him padawan, he’s never going to stop now.” 

I giggle. “Well, if it keeps encouraging him to learn, I don’t see the harm in it.” 

“He’s getting real good at the piano, he’s even starting to try to sing.” She turns to Leilani who’s hanging off of my boyfriend’s left arm. “So, what has you so enamored with Travis this morning?”

“He made me feel sooo good in the shower this morning!” She says leaning against him. 

“It was Rose’s idea to try for double penetration. I’m guessing it’s cause her rump’s a little sensitive this morning.” 

I blush, darn! Here I was hoping to avoid that comment. 

“What did you two do that she’d be all sore this morning?” Cassandra asks innocently. 

“I’m not sure, though I did lose count after the 5th time we went at it…” I try to say calmly. 

Cassandra gasps. “And I thought Leilani was bad! Travis!” she lets go of my hand to slap his shoulder.

“That’s what I said when he wanted to go at it again at 2am.” I give him a sly smile. 

“I couldn’t help myself.” He says apologetically. 

“At least I didn’t see any hickey’s on me this morning like last time.” I say with a playful glare. 

“Not where I left them, no.” Travis says with a cheeky grin.

I debate smacking him for that comment, instead I merely smile and shake my head. “I’d say what should I do with you, but I’m sure you already have a few ideas.” I say with a playful smile. 

“Maybe.” He says with a cheeky grin. 

“I’m starting to wonder if it’s safe to get involved with the three of you.” Cassandra chides and we all start laughing. 

Travis and Leilani trade off a loving kiss as she breaks off to go to her locker. 

The three of us go to our lockers. Travis gives my bottom a little squeeze as he goes by making me gasp in surprise. Cassandra merely shakes her head as we get our books out and head to homeroom together. 

As we’re heading off to chemistry class, we bump into Sarah. 

“Rose.” She says with a smile. 

“Morning Sarah.” I say returning her smile. 

“So, I’m curious.” She starts. “Who’s dating who?” she looks at the 4 of us who are all holding hands. 

“Does it matter?” Cassandra asks bluntly.

“Well, Rose told me the other day that she was Travis and Leilani’s girlfriend, but the two of them are even closer than before.” Then she looks over to my new girlfriend. “So where do you fit in all this?” 

Cassandra looks at Sarah, then me, and I nod. “Rose and I are still working out the details on that.” 

Sarah looks at the 4 of us again. “So… Monique leaves you, meaning that gives free reign for your love interests to stop hiding their affections?”

Leilani answers before I can. “Yep! Rose doesn’t seem to mind, do you honey?”

I merely smile. 

“You know, that’s not going to help dissuade Monique’s accusations much. You walking around with 2 girlfriends and a boyfriend just proves her point.” 

“And your point is?” Tina says coming up along side us from her locker. “Rose’s real friends don’t care who she dates, as long as it’s not hurting how she performs on the field. So, you can stir the rumour mill all you want, we don’t care.” 

Sarah looks at Tina surprised, looks between us and then looks thoughtful. “Fine with me.” She smiles. We go into chemistry class together switching the topic to the newest chemical elements we’re going to see today.

The morning seems to be going by well enough. No one seems to be making a lot of fuss as the three of us flirt with each other during Physics class. Leilani doesn’t have this class with us, she does Economics this block. 

As the bell rings, I get up and I’m intercepted by Travis giving me a loving kiss before leading the way out of class. I reach behind me and Cassandra gladly takes my hand as we form a chain. 

Leilani joins us, latching on to Travis’ other arm as Cassandra breaks our hold to get the laptop out of her locker. As we stand there, Susan walks by with a couple of her cheerleader friends. 

“How is it the class dork suddenly has two girlfriends? “She says in a snide remark. 

“What’s wrong Susan? Jealous?” Leilani comes back at her. 

Cassandra comes up to us, and gives me a kiss on the lips. “Got it dear, let’s go.” She takes hold of my hand and we walk away leaving the girls speechless. 

“You did that on purpose.” I say with a smile.

“Maybe.” Cassandra replies with a smug grin. 

Leilani normally doesn’t join us for computer club, but Tim had promised her a portion of the party platter he was bringing. The four of us get into the lab as Tim is laying out the tray and pulling a stack of paper plates from his bag. 

“My parents had a function on Saturday.” Tim starts as he tells Chris and Bobby about it. Brent already knew as he’s also in our guild. “They offered me one of the leftover trays of food so that it doesn’t go to waste. My mother said a club of boys could easily demolish it.” He grins. 

“Did you tell your parents that, with Rose in the club, this might only be a nice light snack?” Brent says teasingly. 

Tim looks over at my loaded plate, and I shrug my shoulders and grin. The rest of the group break out laughing and we sit down and eat lunch. 

Bobby’s father works for the school board, and soon, his parents are coming in with a cart full of gaming rigs. “Seeing as we don’t need to publish another zine till next month, I figure we could spend lunch playing Refuge. 

“What are we going to do?” I ask curiously. 

“Well, with Bobby’s frost mage, Chris’ rogue, and Brent’s bard. We have a decent group for a low-end raid.” Tim says between bites. 

“Bard?” Cassandra looks up form her sandwich. “You sneaky bastard, you’re Tarvel!” 

Brent bows and changes his tone. “The one and only m’lady Varielle.” He grins as she shakes her head in wonder. “Who else would you expect a role player like myself to be.” She gives him a smile. 

“What about Fee, Fie and Foe?” Leilani asks as she starts up the game. I can see her trying to figure out how many people she’s going to have to worry about healing.

“I messaged them this morning.” Tim says as he starts up the game on the systm in front of him. “They should be joining us soon. If not, the 8 of us could manage, maybe pick up two more from the guild to for a 10-man run.” 

We log into game. Thornton, Varielle, Sylvianna, Tarvel, Nemarcus and I are still in the guild hall. It doesn’t take long for Christopherus _(really Chris?)_ and Byron to join us.

“The brothers say they can’t join us.” Nemarcus says, so I’ve asked Crystal and Finian to join us in queuing for the raid.” 

We have just Tim’s computer set up for voice to reduce the echo of all of us talking. 

“We’re playing the new druid class.” A new female voice comes over the speakers. “I’m playing balance, and Finian is nature specked for healing.” 

Cyrstal is well named, she has this aura around her that makes her look like a crystalline spirit made of moon dust. She’s riding on Finian’s back as her friend’s elk travel form acts as a mount. When Finian resumes his elven form. He’s a tall bearded elf with night black skin and long white hair. His staff looks more like it was grown than crafted, it looks amazing. 

“Yay! More elves!” cheers my girlfriend Sylvianna. 

“Great, more people that are taller than me.” Thornton grumbles. 

“My dearest Thornton, height is not everything, you proved this morning you are more than man enough for me.” She winks at him.

“Considering Thornton’s Cannina’s boyfriend, I don’t think I want to know what you lot may have been up to this morning.” Nemarcus looks back at us and the three of us wink at him.

“But some of us would like to know.” Crystal says inquisitively. 

“Crystal my love, let us not intrude in the affairs of others.” Finian says. 

“But darling, when have we seen other couples in the guild so far?” Crystal pleads to him.

“Cannina and her lovers might be more than you bargain for.” Tarvel says with a chuckle. 

“I am not yet one of her lovers Tarvel, but I am one of her love interests, please don’t confuse the two.” Varielle says candidly. 

She has most of the group deadpan silent for a moment. 

I giggle. “Now if you all just pick your jaws off the floor, lets get on with the raid.” 

I set my wolf into tank mode to help do mob control with Thornton. Frostbite is doing his name justice. Finian is focusing his healing on my pet so that Sylvianna doesn’t drain her mana too fast, as it is, it’s taking all of her abilities to keep Thornton alive. Tossing the occasional heal to Chris who seems to be pulling more aggro than he should. 

Tarvel stands behind the group, moving forward only when random patrols try to come at us from behind. His songs buff and increase the power and damage of our abilities. Some songs are designed to scare ambushers into our tanks. While some of his epics do a slow heal over time effect over all of us. 

The mages stand beside me as I pick off anything that strays from the cluster around my boyfriend and pet. The screen is alive in beautiful colours as arcane, frost and Varielle’s dark magics pound down on our opponents. Nemarcus and Byron have this tag-team play going where Tim’s toon will bounce into combat and lay down massive amounts of arcane spells while shielded. When his mana is spent, Byron covers his retreat by stopping opponents with frost walls, ice sheets and chilling blizzards. After a few rounds, I catch on to their tactics and lay down volleys or arrows on Nemarcus’s position to kill anything that may get close. 

“I’ve never been able to recharge my mana so quickly. Thanks for the assist Cannina. I didn’t have to run away at all!” he’s quiet for a moment. “Wait.. What’s this buff?” 

“You’re welcome.” Giggles Crystal. “Balance druids come with a few buffs that assist other arcanists such as ourselves.” 

“Yeah, my mana’s barely dropping at all!” Byron grins, as he tosses several frost globes into the fray.

“The moon goddess is gentle, kind and giving.” Crystal says sweetly. 

“Yes she is.” Sylvianna says as her moonlight flashes across the screen, healing Thornton from near death to full health while damaging the opponents around him. 

“That was a close one dear.” Thornton says in a worried tone. 

“Sorry my love, I needed to keep Chris from dying again.” My girlfriend says. 

“Many apologies.” Chris says. “I’m trying a new rotation, let me sneak away after this boss fight, and I’ll go back to using my Assassin spec, it has more stealth and shadow abilities to break from pulling too many mobs.”

After the raid is done, we get a load of cool gear, coin and materials from everything we did. The guild also gets a trophy to hang in our hall for having done a guild event. As we’re rather new and haven’t fully figured out crafting yet, my loves and I put all the crafting materials we gathered into the guild bank. Nemarcus says he’s going to sit down with us Thursday night and figure out what crafting skills will work best with us, in the meantime just work on gathering to build up the guild vault. 

I’m sitting at a table with my boyfriend and girlfriends as we recover form the event. I think we each gained 3 levels from it, and we’re now sorting out our new skills, abilities and talents. 

Crystal comes up to us. “So, how does it work with the four of you?” she says in a curious tone. 

“I tried to wrap my head around it, and thought I had it figured out till Varielle joined the circle of intimacy.” Says Nemarcus. 

“Well, my budding romance with Cannina is still pretty new.” Varielle says. 

Tarvel steps up beside us. “It’s pretty simple.” He starts. “Cannina is at the centre of it all.” From her we have lines to to Sylvianna, Thornton and now Varielle. Then we connect Sylvianna And Thornton to complete the triangle with Varielle still being a single line.”

“Wow.” Finian says, putting is arm around Crstal who leans in to him. “Cannina you should have gone for a bard with the way you enthrall those around you.” 

“She likes her puppies.” Varielle gives me a wink. 

“I’m not her puppy.” Thornton objects. 

“You are that and far much more my darling.” I respond to him and he blushes. 

The first bell rings breaking our conversation. 

“Oops. Lost track of time. We need to pack up and get going if we’re not to miss our next class.” Says Nemarcus. “Thanks again for joining us you two, if we can pop on tonight after the movie we will.” 

“Otherwise we should be back online Thursday at the same time and maybe after school.” I say with a smile. 

We sign off and let the parents pack up the gaming boxes as we start heading out to class. 

Travis is still a little put off. “Is that how you see me Rose? Just another one of your puppies?” The annoyance in his voice is clear. 

“Darling, when we first started dating, you did very much act like one.” I say softly. 

“What about now?” he says still unimpressed. 

“Why you are my knight in shining armor, the champion who has won my heart.” I say leaning into him and putting my hand on his chest the way my character does in game. 

He puts his arm around me and we kiss for a moment. “Then I now match in life who I am in game.” He smiles. 

We keep walking arms wrapped around each other. Our other hands holding the hands of our girlfriends walking beside us. We pass more than one person who do a double-take as we make our way to the lockers. I give him a kiss as I break off to go to class. 

“See you in gym class.” I get kisses on my cheeks from my girlfriends and I head into my art class. 

As we’re setting up to do painting today, one of my classmates April comes up to me. 

“What do you think of this picture?” she has a cell phone shot of Cassandra and Leilani kissing my cheeks. I’m guessing I’m supposed to react negatively to it or get upset somehow as she has this odd grin on her face.

“That’s a lovely picture of my girlfriends and I.” I say to her with a smile. “Can I have a copy of it?” 

April blinks for a moment as she gets the opposite reaction she was expecting. “Umm. Yeah, sure.” 

I thank her for the picture and go back to painting the lighthouse model that the teacher presented to us. From that model, we are to creatively make our own scene around it. As many of the folk here have seen the coast, they are painting seaside landscapes. The first lighthouse I ever saw was in a snowglobe, sitting on my parent’s mantle - along with the rest of my mother’s collection of scenic globes. My teacher remarks on my creativity as she goes around the class to check our progress. 

As we head out the teacher asks me to hold back a moment. 

“There are a lot of rumours circulating school about you and your girlfriend Monique splitting up.” She says with a touch of concern.

“My ex-girlfriend Monique.” I correct her. “My friends and I are doing well enough without her inferring anymore with my love life.” 

“Oh, so the other rumours are true then.” She says with a frown. 

“I can’t see why my affectionate actions between my girlfriends and boyfriend are anyone else’s business but our own.” I say returning the frown. “We’re just kissing, holding hands and maybe holding each other closely. No more different than anyone else does with their love interests in school.” 

“Umm.. Well, Rose, most people only have one love interest.” She says hesitantly. 

“Are my relationships going to affect my grades here in class?” I say crossing my arms.

“No, they’re not.” She says.

“Then I would like you to kindly keep your nose out of my love life. The friends that matter to me are fine with how I behave.” I say in a stern voice. “Now if you will excuse me, I don’t want to be late for gym.” 

I don’t wait for her to answer, I turn and walk out of the room. How many other adults am I going to come across who are going to take offense to my love life? I guess polygamy is frowned upon here in Willow Creek. Come to think of it, my mother would probably be upset herself by my actions - which is why my brother was so angry about my promiscuous nature. While his first annoyance was about my infidelity to Monique, would he find my current behavior unsavory? I’ll have to talk to Jane about it tonight after the movie.


	6. Gym and a Movie

I change into my Foxbury track and field outfit: shorts, tank top, pants and hoodie. I come out into the gym, and some of the students have already started to jog around. I spot my friends on the other side of the track. I toss my hoodie on the bench, and my sneakers squeak on the floor as I suddenly dash to catch up. I spot an unusual motion to my right, as a foot moves to trip me, I make a running handstand, grabbing the foot on my uplift. The boy who thought he was going to trip me is suddenly tossed on his rump, as I continue jogging. 

I slow down as I catch up to Cassandra, she looks at me, and I give her a quick kiss before she can say anything. 

“You’re reflexes continue to amaze me!” she says blushing. 

I spot Travis a few feet away. 

“Want to see amazing? Watch this…” 

I turn so that I’m jogging with her backwards, then leap back, doing three backward somersaults and landing in front of Travis. He stops stunned, and I give him a kiss before joining Cassandra again. 

“Show-off.” She grins giving me a light shove. 

Travis waits till we’ve caught up with him. People are jogging around him and he starts up once he’s running alongside me. 

“Was that stunt for my benefit or hers.” He says teasingly. 

“How about both?” I say with a cheeky smile. 

As we round for our final lap, Travis gives Todd a dirty look. The boy is still rubbing his backside from the hard fall I gave him. As usual the boys split off form the girls to opposite sides of the gym. I give Travis one last kiss and join my girlfriends as we gather. 

“New month, new sport.” Says coach Roberts. “You may have noticed that I don’t have the nets up, cause we’re starting…” and he brings his hands around showing the brown ball in his hand. “Basketball.” He starts dribbling the ball. 

Walking to the wall plate. He hits a button and the basketball net descends from it’s position close to the ceiling. 

“Who’s played basketball before?” He asks. 

Most of the girls raise their hands. Tina looks over at my girlfriends and I, almost shocked that neither of us have our hands raised. 

Zoe walks up beside us. “Good, I don’t feel so alone anymore.” She smiles. 

“Think fast Montgomery” coach says and bounces the ball at me. “Now, dribble the ball with your hand like you saw me do.” He says.

It’s a little awkward at first, but soon, I have the ball bouncing using either left or right hands. I see a motion beside me as Tina decides to see how much control I have over the ball, I tip the ball backward, and keep dribbling it behind my back, not looking at the ball. I’ve seen this on TV before, so I visualize the motions of the players and start moving to my right.

Coach grins. “The goal is to get past Tina, and sink the ball in the hoop, without carrying the ball more than one step.” He says. 

I stop dribbling, make a motion to the right, Tina catches on my feint, noticing I generally favour my left hand in sports, so I motion to the left, and she moves, giving me the opportunity to take my shot. I do a small hop, and the ball lands in the hoop without hitting the back board. 

The coach’s grin drops. “Montgomery, I thought you said you haven’t played this before.” 

“I haven’t coach.” I say as Ginny gets the ball. 

“You are going to tell me you just did a rim-less 3-point shot on a whim?” he says in astonishment. 

“Not on a whim coach, it’s all…” I start

“Math.” He finishes for me. “Here I thought I might have something to teach you.” 

“Well, I’ve see a few seasons on the TV…” I say in my defense. 

Coach Roberts merely shakes his head, and smiles. “Okay, first thing we’re going to do today is taking shots. Dribbling and controlling the ball only matters if you can score.” 

He has us form a circle around the net, and we each take turns at taking shots. This goes on for half a gym class till he figures we’ve had enough and he starts us on passing the ball and dribbling exercises. 

I have Leilani giggling as I start double dribbling balls, juggling them as much as I am dribbling. Cass tosses me a 3rd, and I start alternating balls to keep them all moving. Tina wants to see where my breaking point is, and tosses me a 4th. I have a cascade of balls going. 

“Now make a shot.” Challenges Tina. 

I toss them up one after the other after shuffling close enough to the hoop, and they all sink in. I put up my hands and everyone cheers. 

“Just what team did you used to watch?” Coach Roberts asks, as I spin a ball. 

“The Globetrotters.” I say calmly. “People said they were the best ball players of all time.” 

Coach Roberts smiles and shakes his head. “You never cease to amaze me.” 

“Well four was pretty hard, I don’t think I could manage a fifth.” I say in my defense, and Tina cracks up laughing giving me a friendly slap on the shoulder.

We didn’t work up too much of a sweat today… well, I didn’t anyway. So I just put my hoodie back on and zip it up just below my breasts. My camisole being the only thing hiding my breasts.   
“It’s too bad we don’t have a basketball team.” Coach Roberts says he gathers up the balls in a trolley. “I think you would be a great player. Your height, your talent... 

One of the boys whips a ball at my back, I twist and catch it without looking, and do a one hand toss off the back board, through the hoop, with enough spin that it bounces into the trolley. I turn around and it’s Todd. 

“I’m going to give you one warning Todd.” I say in a deep tone that echos in the near empty gym. “Try that again, and your head will be my next target!”

Todd swallows hard, and runs back into the change room. 

“Rose…” coach Roberts says in a warning tone. I note he’s not using my last name. 

“Sorry coach.” I say bowing me head in shame. 

He walks up beside me and puts a comforting arm around my shoulder. “I know you’ve often had to fight your own battles, but let me discipline the unruly boys, okay?” he says in a soft tone. 

“Okay.” I say with a weak smile. 

Travis catches up with us as we’re exiting the gym. “What did you tell Todd?” he says with a grin. 

“He tried to hit me with a ball, I caught it. I sunk it in the hoop, and it bounced into the trolley by coach.” I look over to him. 

“That all?” Travis doesn’t sound convinced. “He came in having pissed his shorts.” 

“I may have told him that his head was next if he tried that again…” I say quietly. 

“Rose, you said you were done with fighting.” Cassandra scolds me. 

“He started it!” I say motioning behind me, my girlfriend merely shakes her head and sighs. I frown. “He’s never tried to bug me before today, wonder what his beef is?”

We grab our science books from our lockers before heading to class. 

After school Brent and Tim ask if they can join us for the early show. 

I look at Travis and he nods. “Sure, on two conditions.” I say to them. 

“Whatever you want.” Tim says confidently. It seems that he’s come to trust me. 

“You pay your share of the supper, and you need your own rides home.” I finish. 

“Fair enough.” Brent answers. “I’ll have my brother to pick us up after the show, Tim lives along my block.” 

“Great.” I smile as we all walk out together. 

We get a few dirty looks as we walk out to the van, and the boys notice. 

“Some folks, specially the seniors are miffed at you for what you did to Monique.” Brent says quietly.

“She broke up with me!” I say trying to hold back my tone. “Why am I the bad guy in this?!”

Brent looks at Travis, then Cassandra, then me. “She’s making you sound like the big bad seducer and then went and slept with people behind her back.” 

“You know, she seduced me, I never had a relationship before I met her. She spent weeks manipulating my feelings and getting jealously angry the moment I even looked at someone else.” I say with a controlled angry tone. 

“Well, that sort of puts a new spin on the story.” Tim says 

“Things would have been totally different had I not told her to back off. Travis and Cassandra have been the only relationships I’ve actually courted and sought out.” I continue. “I am not proud for what I did, but know that I would have lost so much this year had I not acted the way I did.”

“Well, I haven’t seen my friends happier since they met you.” Tim smiles. “I’m definitely not going to chastise you for what you’ve done.” 

Cass and Travis lean against me and we hold each other. “Thanks.” I say.

“I can’t imagine the torture it would have been to keep my feelings from you till Monique graduated.” Cassandra says with a smile. She pulls my chin towards her with a finger and gives me a kiss. “Honey, can I please sit up front with my best friend.” She asks sweetly. 

“Hmm.. How can I say ‘no’ when you ask so sweetly?” I smile. “Do you trust me to sit in the back with Tim?” I give him a wink. He remembers my flirting from last week and starts to back away, and I laugh.

The others start to laugh with me. Brent puts a hand on my shoulder. “You are such a horrible tease Rose.” 

“You don’t know half of it.” Travis says and gives me a cunning smile. 

“You are just as guilty of being a tease and I am mister, don’t give me that look.” I say in my defense.

We all pile into the van laughing and Brent offers to sit beside me as Tim still thinks I’ll tease him. 

“How are things going with your and Amber?” I ask Brent as we pull out.

“Well, apparently you’re right.” He says. “Only you didn’t tell me how easily she’d pick up on my crush for her. My parents are appreciating it though.” He says with a smile. 

“Oh?” I say curiously. 

“Well, Amber’s like you, she doesn’t sit still… ever.” Brent starts. “We’ve gone cycling, played Frisbee, gone swimming.” He continues. “I’ve noticed I’m getting slimmer. 

“The curse of dating a jock is that they start converting you.” Travis says with a wink.

“I haven’t heard you complaining about it darlin’ not after the swim we had.” Travis blushes at that comment. “She just wants you to look good in a bathing suit on Saturday.” I wink to him and Brent blushes.

We arrive at the Malt Shoppe who has pizzas ready for the movie crowd, so it takes no time at all to be served. We don’t want to fill ourselves up too much, and share two medium pizzas between the 5 of us.

Once we arrive at the theater. I don’t even bother to look if anyone is watching when I grab my boyfriend by the butt cheek and give him a huge smooch before walking off, hand-in-hand with Cassandra. 

“So your ex wasn’t the only one who loved the public displays of affection.” Cassandra teases me as we look for seats.

I blush. “I sort of learned to appreciate the attention it gathers.” 

“You are too cute.” Cassandra smiles and gives me a kiss before moving down a few seats to reserve our seating area.

We chat about Refuge while we wait for the boys to show up with the popcorn. They added a new talent tree for the hunter: Survival. Rather than use a bow, I use a two handed pole arm weapon such as spear or glaive. Cassandra notes that I could be up front in combat with Travis if I change over to it. 

“But then who will protect our back flank?” I ask her. “I rather like being just outside of the fray and picking off errant mobs and ambushers that threaten my girlfriends.” 

“Awe, you’re so sweet, keeping me safe from the big bad monsters.” She says in a sultry tone. 

“Careful, or I am going to show you what I do to teases like you.” I say in a playful voice.

“Empty threats.” Cass gives me a challenge.

I note the boys coming along with their purchases, and Cass gets up to get her portion. 

I wait for her and Travis to sit down. I move her drink to the opposite cup tray, and ask Travis to hold her popcorn for a moment. 

“What?” Cassandra starts to say. 

I reach down and squeeze her ass as I give her a deep passionate kiss. She ‘mhphs’ in surprise and then moans and sighs she pushes up against me. I let her go and she melts against me. 

“Damn, I need a girlfriend like that.” Tim says longly. 

I can tell that my actions turned him on. I turn around to get Cassandra’s popcorn and plop in in her lap as she snuggles affectionately against me. I turn to give Tim an answer when Travis turns my chin back towards him. 

“Don’t think of it.” He says in a slight serious tone.

“Oh, my darlin’ I doubt he’s half the man you are.” I say giving Travis a long loving kiss. 

He returns the kiss, the lights haven’t even dimmed yet, and we’re already making out. I really love movie night. We settle down with Cass and Travis cuddled up to each side of me. This is the second time that I’ve seen Travis react to my flirting with another guy. I find it odd that, while he has no issues with girlfriends, he’ll get jealous of other men. Then again, I am his first everything. I can see his worry of loosing someone he loves deeper than he ever expected. _Like Monique_. I remind myself. My mind wanders as the credits first roll through. My whole relationship with Monique started when I mentioned that Travis had flirted with me. She did what she did so that no one else could date me first… my thought are distracted as the opening scene starts. 

It was a great movie. The special effects were so realistic that, outside of the CGI submersible scenes, it looked so real! I found a new passion in underwater adventure, wondering how much of that is actually possible in reality. 

We walk out of the theater excitedly talking about our favorite parts and scenes. Brent starts on the hot oceanography researcher, and he and Tim start going off on details that has Cassandra and I rolling our eyes. 

“Boys.” I say with a disappointed tone.

“Oh come-on Rose, you like girls too, tell me you didn’t think Nalla was hot in her bathing suit?!” Tim says. I start to blush. “See, see! I knew it!” and we all start laughing.

“You guys can drool over Nalla all you want, I’d rather go for Nathan’s periscope…” Cassandra says in a sultry tone. 

“Think he might be as big as Rose?” Brent says teasingly. Travis looks thoughtful for a moment, and shakes his head. Brent starts laughing so hard, he can barely stand up, so he leans against me before falling down. 

I gave him a pat on the head. “I think you broke him love.” I say with a smile. 

“Worth every moment of it.” Travis says with a grin. 

“Oh wow! I can’t remember the last time I laughed so hard!” Brent says when he can finally compose himself. 

We part ways with the guys, and head to Travis’ van. As we’re about to cross the street, I grab his arm, and pull him back, he turns to me confused, when a car zips by where he would have stepped. 

He looks at the speeding car as it nearly hits another vehicle speeding through the red light. Then looks at me. “You never cease to amaze me my love.” 

I hold up my hand. And suddenly a police car rips out of the Malt Shoppe, turning on it’s lights and chasing after the reckless driver. 

“Now it’s safe.” I say with a smile.

“I’m going to start calling what you do ‘Spidee Sense’” Cassandra says teasingly. “Like in gym.”

We chat about the movie on the way home. 

“I’m going to drop you off first love.” Travis says “So I’m less tempted to do anything else.” He gives me a sad smile. 

“Hmm.” My bed is going to be lonely tonight.” I agree with him. 

“You two are incorrigible.” Cassandra shakes her head. 

We soon arrive to my place and I step out of the car. Travis rolls down the window so I can give him a toe curling good night kiss.

Travis sighs after we break our kiss. “I’m going to miss cuddling up with you tonight.” 

He gives me one last kiss, I step back and he drives off. I look up and Leilani is at her window, we wave to each other before I head inside. 

I put on some music and start packing some of the items I don’t think I’m going to use over the next few days. I leave my art supplies we brought back from home untouched. I’ll wait till I can set something up at the manor. 

I decide to take a break and log in to see who is still around. 

-= Sam =- Hey Rose, how are things?

-= Rose =- Okay, I suppose. Monique and I broke up, so I’m down one girlfriend.

-= Diane =- Considering what you gained this weekend, I’d say there’s no loss. ;o)

-= Rose =- Behave Dee my darlin’ 

-= Diane =- Ummm… I can almost hear your accent in that comment. :-*

-= Jane =- So, how are things with school and work with that happening?

-= Rose =- She quit the café, and school is an odd landscape. 

-= Jane =- How’s that love? 

-= Rose =- With Monique out of the way, my girlfriends and boyfriend are now openly affectionate with me - which doesn’t help Monique’s accusation of me being nothing more than a lying cheating slut. :-/

-= Diane =- OMG Honey, how are you holding up? :worried:

-= Rose =- This is where things get strange. My teammates don’t care! They’ll stand by me till the end cause, apparently, I’m the hottest best team captain the school has seen in years.

-= Jane =- See, there you go. :o)

-= Rose =- I had ‘the talk’ with Trav’s parents about us dating, and how he can’t get me pregnant.

-= Jane =- How did you break that to them?

-= Rose =- I told them I had a hormone disorder, I wasn’t born with ovaries, which is why I needed to see my specialist this weekend, and why I can’t get pregnant.

-= Jane =- Okay, that’s the most creative way to come out as trans I have ever heard. :giggle:

-= Lisa =- I need to use that line for my boyfriend. :grin:

-= Rose =- Wow, you and Jun hit it off that well?

-= Lisa =- :blush: He’s wants me to leave campus and move in with him.

-= Sam =- Wow! Never saw that coming!

-= Rose =- Jun was such a gentleman Saturday night, I’m glad it looks like it’s working out with you two. 

-= Lisa =- Oh! What about you and Lee?

-= Rose =- Um. Well. Lee was a fun night in bed, doubt it will be more than that.

-= Lisa =- I don’t know. The way he looks at your picture on his phone… I think the boy has fallen for you. 

-= Rose =- Oh dear.

-= Jane =- You want me to talk to him for you hun?

-= Rose =- Sigh! No, let me handle that. Travis won’t be impressed. 

-= Sam =- So, let me get this straight. He doesn’t care how many girls you have, but gets all knotted up about another man?

-= Rose =- Seems that way.

-= Jane =- That’s like having half of a Monique. 

-= Rose =- No, it’s okay. I really love Travis. More than I ever thought I would. Monique didn’t even come even close to my feelings for him. I am more than happy to keep away from other men in my life if it means pleasing my boyfriend.

-= Sam =- Oh. :o(

-= Rose =- I’m sorry Sam. After the talk with his parents and the night we spent together… 

-= Jane =- You’re not thinking of marrying that boy are you?

-= Rose =- Possibly? 

-= Jane =- Rose, you are too young to think about such things!

-= Rose =- I know! But, he makes me so happy! 

-= Jane =- What about children? I know you want a family, you’ll never be able to bear him a child. 

-= Rose =- Travis thinks Cass and I would make beautiful children. 

-= Jane. =- O_o Okay. I was not expecting your beau to be a poly. 

-= Rose =- The way he and Leilani are going, it’s just a matter of time before she lets him do her fully. 

-= Jane =- That tight of a love triangle?

-= Rose =- Well, the .. Umm… double entry in the shower this morning has her loving what he did for her… 

-= Jane =- Wow. You 3 are really quite the item!

-= Diane =- Rose, can we talk?

-= Rose =- Sure bbl guys. 

Diane meets me in a private channel and is requesting video, and I acknowledge. I see her face pop up on my screen and I smile at her. Dee on the other hand is near tears. 

“Dee darlin’ what’s wrong?” I say with concern. 

“I’m sorry love.” She sniffles. “I know, technically, I should be dating Tony, but I can’t help it, I love you.” She gives me a look of longing. 

I smile tenderly. “Dee my darlin’ I still love you.” 

Dee’s face brightens up and she relaxes on the other line. 

“What will happen with us if you and Travis get married?” she says in a worried tone.

“We’ll have to figure that out as we go.” I say softly. “Darlin’, we still have another year before I graduate, it’s not like we’re going to get married anytime soon.”

Dee has this relieved look on her face. 

I continue “As much as I love Travis, anything can still happen. Don’t abandon your heart yet.” 

Dee gives me a sweet smile. “You’re just trying to butter me up, sweet talker that you are.”

“I’m serious Dee. Anything can happen.” I say seriously. “Somehow, I want to have at least 2 children - hopefully before I start shooting blanks.”

“You know, that only gives you 4-5 years according to what we’ve heard.” She says in a worried tone. 

“Which means being a Mom before I finish University, I know.” I say solemnly. 

“Oh. You’re still thinking of coming up to Foxbury for computer programming?” she gives me a hopeful look. 

“Along with Travis and Cassandra, yes.” I reply.

Dee’s smile drops as she hears that I won’t be here alone.

“My Darlin' Dee, Cassandra may one day be the mother of my children, and Travis…” 

“Your husband, yes, you said that…” she looks at me with sad eyes. “Where does that put us?”

“Could you learn to share me with others?” I ask her.

“I guess I don’t have much choice do I?” she says sadly. “You can’t just love one person can you?” 

“I… I guess I can’t.” I say thoughtfully. “Dee, whatever happens, if there is a future for us, I want you by my side.”

“You do?” she says snapping up her head in surprise.

“How could I just leave you after the bond that we formed that night?”

She smiles brightly. “Thank you. Can I tell you something that only Jane knows so far?”

“Sure.” I smile.

“I’m getting my letters put together, and funding. If everything works out as planned, I’m going for my surgeries this summer.” 

“Oh wow! That’s amazing! I know you thought it would never happen this summer.”

Dee smiles. “I found a sponsor.” 

“What do they want in return?” I say curiously.

“A five year work contract agreement after school.” She smiles. “Half of my pay going to pay for the surgeries.” 

“Are you going to be able to live off of that?” I say concerned. 

“I live off of less now, so - yeah - I’ll manage.” She smiles. “It’s in biology which is my major now.”

“Where will you be working?” I suddenly get concerned that, after all that talk, she’ll be leaving Britechester before I even get there.

“For one of the gene labs affiliated with Foxbury. So I’ll be living here.” She replies.

“Gene lab?” Let me guess, another part of the agreement is acquisition of the genetic material left after your surgery?” I say with a frown. 

“If I want to increase my pay, yes.” She quirks an eyebrow. “How’d you guess?” 

“Unogene had approached my endo when she published that I show signs of being possibly intersex. They want to know how trans people tick - genetically.” I reply. “Just be careful with them, okay?” I say with a worried tone.

Dee gives me a curious smile. “Is there something you don’t know?”

I smile at her. “I just get curious and poke my nose everywhere.” I give her a wink.

“I rather get poked by something else.” She gives me a sultry smile. 

“You are going to be a handful this winter, aren’t you?” I smile. 

“If I can get you to stay with me next time, I can guarantee you Lee won’t have anything on what I can offer you.” She says seductively. 

“Need I remind you, that you were the one who couldn’t walk in the morning?” I say teasingly. 

“Hmm.. And worth every moment of it!” she says playfully biting her finger. _Oh, damn, she’s too far away that’s turning me on big time._

I purr in response and give her a hungry look. 

“Oh, I so miss that look.” She sighs. 

“Before you get me really horny girl, I should get going, I need to get up early.” 

Dee pouts. “Do you have to go?” 

“We’ll talk soon darlin’, okay?” I smile. 

“I so adore how you say that.” She sighs. “Okay. I’ll talk to you soon. Love you!”

“Love you too.” I say softly. 

She breaks the connection and I lean back in my chair. _What am I going to do about her?_ Dee is like a transgender version of Leilani. How do I keep finding clingy girls with high libidos? _Cause you keep finding a cherry to pop, and they love you forever for it._ My little voice reminds me.

I rub my eyes. Wow. What a long day! I send a message to the group that I’m going to call it a night. I send a message to my brother with my proposition of going to the Forrest house in the morning after work, so that I can walk with my friends in the morning. I had originally written ‘girlfriends’, but thought that would set a tone I didn’t want. I did add that we’ve grown to like our time together where we can chat about school and things. Here’s hoping he’ll agree to it. 

I sign off my computer. 

I can’t sleep, so I spend time framing all the pictures I want to give to people. I set the ones for my brother and mother to be mailed out tomorrow after work. The post office should be open so I can get the parcels sent out. I put aside a framed 4x6 for Dee as well. It was to be for Monique, but, well, I don’t think she’ll want it anymore. 

Part of me wonders if her lust, and what love we shared, will overcome her broken heart about my sleeping with others. Then I remind myself that it’s no use, since I’ve shattered her trust, we’ll never share the relationship we had before. Why do I find myself missing her so much?

I lay in bed and stare at the ceiling. I only have myself to blame with how complicated my social life has become. Maybe my brother’s right, I need some adult guidance in all this mess.


	7. Wet Wednesday

I wake up to a song about learning to fly. It is so upbeat, that I wake up with a smile on my face. I reach behind me to find a cold empty bed and sigh. I look up at the ceiling, feeling a touch of emptiness. Why do I hate waking up in my bed alone?

It’s raining again this morning. Well, at least the weather is matching my mood. Wait… I quickly run to my computer and look around at the local weather map. After a few stressful moments I lean back in my chair and relax. It’s not raining up in Newcrest, that’s where we’re playing tonight.

I get ready for work, knowing that I’m going to be able to see a friend and kick some ass on the field this afternoon. I dress up in my splash suit and head off to work. 

Beth is her usual gloomy self on a rainy day, and I’m surprised to see Lisa with us as she opens the door. 

“I asked Lisa to change her shift, in hopes that an afternoon shift would be easier to fill.” Beth says with a half smile as we file into the café.

Lisa is all smiles this morning. “I’m looking forward to getting back to the opening shift. I sort of miss it.” 

I look at her. “I didn’t take your job did I?” 

“I thought it would be more interesting taking a later shift, but - nope - this is where I belong. Monique and I worked this shift for over a year together.” Her expression changes. “Oh, sorry, didn’t mean to bring her up.” 

I give her a weak smile. “It’s okay, I do miss her thought.” 

“We all do.” Beth says over her shoulder, heading into the office. 

“I was surprise she quit!” Lisa says as we start up the machines for the day.

“Well, I guess her opinion was that one of us had to. She doesn’t really need this job.” I say calmly. 

“Neither will you once you move into the manor house, but I hope you won’t quite as well.” Beth says checking up on the status of the coffee. 

“What? Miss all the great people I meet each day and working with my sister?” I smile. “Not a chance.” 

“Thanks kiddo.” She says with a smile, sounding so much like my brother. 

“Wait, Beth’s your…” Lisa starts. 

“Brother’s fiancée. Sister-in-law sounds so drawn out.” I say with a smile. “We just consider ourselves sisters.” 

Beth comes over to me, puts a hand on my shoulder, and says in a low voice. “So, little sister, where’s my coffee.” She says in a mock stern voice. 

“2 minutes.” I reply with a grin. 

“I’ll be in my office.” She says with a smile.

Lisa watches Beth walk away. “Well, that makes so much sense now with the way she treats you.” 

“What, I haven’t seen Beth treat me much different from the rest of the staff.” I say a bit surprised. 

“No, but you two just have a different connection. It’s never been just boss and employee with you two, and now I know why.” Lisa smiles. 

“I guess you can say she’s been gradually bringing me into the family. Working here isn’t just a job, it’s a matter of helping to run the family business.” I say to Lisa as I pour the mug Beth left beside the coffee machine. I prepare her coffee the way she likes it, and bring it in the office. 

I’m finally getting out of my splash suit as Beth goes over invoices. 

“How is it, in one month, you know how to make my coffee better than I do?” She comments breathing in the aroma of her cup. 

“Artistic talent.” I give her a wink. As I slide out of my splash pants. “Going to be a slow day, need help with anything?” 

“Well, this place really needs a good cleaning.” Beth says as she looks at her computer screen. “It’s probably not what you wanted to hear, but someone needs to do it.”

“Give me a chance to put some muscle into something? I’ll have this place squeaky clean in no time!” I say with a grin. 

“Beth shakes her head and smiles. “You are the only one I know that actually looks forward to cleaning.” 

I go to the water closet, and notice the mop is disgusting. So I first set one of the spare coffee boilers to run, while I use detergent and hot water from the tap to clean out the mop before I use it.

As I roll out the mop bucket, Beth asks if I’m using a new mop head and I shake my head. She just smiles in disbelief. 

With the boiling hot water, the floor dries almost immediately, and it picks up more dirt than a cold mop would. I have the tiles shining by the time I’m done. I’m nearly done the tables while Lisa reminds me that I should put the cleaning supplies away if I want to have time to suit up in my rain gear. It’s still a steady light rain outside. 

As I’m putting stuff away, Beth looks over the café. “Where did you learn to clean like this?!” 

“I used to work for the school cafeteria during lunch hours, and help clean up after school.” I tell her as I slip into the splash pants. “It’s not like I had any friends to spend my lunch hour with, it was less lonely sitting with my co-workers and quietly eating rather than sitting at a table alone.” 

Beth quirks an eyebrow. “Dave never told me that.” 

“There’s a lot of my pre-transition life that we don’t talk about, it can trigger bad memories. You don’t want to see me when I have a meltdown.” I say with a straight face. “I think Cass and her family are the only ones here who have.” I say sadly. 

“I was wondering how you two got so close.” Beth says as I finish suiting up. 

“I think it helped that she lost one of her close friends this summer.” I say with a grim smile. “She automatically latched on to me when we met. I guess being a fellow geek, I was the perfect choice for her new best friend outside of Travis.” 

“You’ve been calling Travis your boyfriend.” Beth quirks and eye. “How does that work with the three of you?” 

“Travis and Cass are like siblings, she literally encouraged me to date him.” I say with a smile. “I guess she saw me as perfect girlfriend material for him.” I put on my helmet and gloves. “See, Travis is a bit of a shy geek, neither of them are very social people.” 

“Yet, around you they are very open and affectionate.” Beth smiles. “With your overt and loving nature, they can’t help but open up themselves.”

“Cass jokes that my love interests follow me around like puppies.” I giggle. “I don’t think she realizes she’s always been one of them.” 

Beth laughs. “You and your friends are so adorable. Don’t change that semi-innocent nature of yours.” Beth looks up at the clock. “Now get going, I’m sure you want breakfast and a shower before class - if that neighbour of yours lets you.” 

“We had a shower yesterday.” Slipping the rain cover over my bag. “She loves showering together.” 

Beth shakes her head and sighs. “You are incredible.”

I drop by the post office before heading home. I pay for the padded shipping sleeves, so that the frames don’t get damaged in transit. I make sure that each envelope has a ‘Fragile’ sticker on it, so that the glass doesn’t get broken. I mail them off to my brother, Dee and my mom. I include some extra non-framed photos if mom wants to give them out to others. 

I get home and enter my empty house. I strip out of my work clothes and get ready for school today. I quickly shower and think about making breakfast. As I dry off, I look out of my kitchen window to my neighbours house. I smile to myself as I get a better idea: Time to got wake Leilani. I grab my rain boots and umbrella. The rain is coming pretty much straight down. 

I knock on the back door, and step inside, removing my rain boot and setting them with my umbrella in the mud-rack. 

“Good morning Rose.” Her dad says from behind his morning paper. He’s idly munching on breakfast. 

“Good morning.” I say with a smile. 

“I don’t think that she’s up yet, if that’s why you are here so early.” Her mom says from the kitchen. I can hear the smile in her tone. 

“Can I ask a favor this morning?” I ask her as I go over to where she’s cooking.

“Why do I feel it’s something out of the ordinary?” She turns and looks at me me with her hand on her hip.

“Well, Leilani loves it when I wash her hair.” I say timidly. 

“Oh she does, does she?” she quirks and eyebrow. “Will there be anything else happening in this shower this morning?” 

“Probably not, Leilani’s on her period.” I reply.

“Do you know everything there is about your girlfriends?” Her mom says putting her other hand on her hip. 

“It sort of helps sorting out when her moods will shifts.” I smile.

“Right. At least you’re paying attention to her cycle so that she doesn’t get pregnant.” Her mother says with a sigh. “Fine, go on up, but no playing around you two.” She gives me a stern glance. 

“I’ll do my best..” I say with a smile. 

I leave her parents as her father chuckles about the things they still get into while showering together. 

I head up and Leilani is sleeping on her side. I go around the bed, avoiding clothing piles and stuffed toys. I lean down and give her a kiss on the forehead, her nose, and she responds when I get to her lips. She must have been already wakeful. She smiles and then brings her arms up pulling me down for a deeper kiss as she rolls on her back. 

“Hmm Good Morning darlin” Leilani says with a smile. 

She pulls me on top of her and we start really making out. If she’s this horny, we may be a bit naughtier in the shower than her parents would like… 

“Now that’s a good morning to remember.” I say as I finally get a moment to talk. “Miss me?” I tease her.

“Always.” She gives me a sultry smile. 

“I got permission for us to shower this morning.” I say eagerly. 

“Ooooh. My morning gets even better.” Leilani coos. 

Leilani slides the blankets off of her, showing me she’d slept in the nude. She’s making things way too easy. I move and pick her up in my arms. She eeps and giggles, as I raise to my feet, putting her arms around my neck. 

She gives me a loving look. “Are you going to carry me to the shower love?” 

“Why of course I am my dear.” I answer her. 

I navigate my way out of her room, making sure not to bump her legs on the door frame. I carry her to the bathroom, as we trade tender kisses. 

She prepares the water as I get undressed and she immediately grabs for my half-hard member as I step towards her naked. She guides me into the shower and we start kissing passionately under the hot stream. We caress each other, soaping one another up. I’m going to smell like lilacs today by the scent of her soap. 

“No sex in the shower, mother’s rules.” I say to her softly as she masturbates me to hardness. 

“Fine, we’ll just to get each other off without penetration.” She coos in a sultry tone.

Our massaging of bodies gets more intimate as we work to get each other off. Knowing each other’s pleasure points, it doesn’t take long. Leilani sighs contently, leaning against me as I wash her hair. 

“Sexual release and a hair massage, you spoil me so much.” She says dreamily. 

Once dried and dressed, we make our way down for breakfast. I have a very happy girlfriend holding my hand as we descend hand-in-hand. 

“Good morning.” Leilani says to her parents, giving her mom a hug. 

“I was able to make you two breakfast while you were pre-occupied.” Her mother says teasingly. 

I blush as we sit down at our seats. I sit across from Leilani as usual and we hold hands as we eat our morning meal. 

“Can I ask a special favour from you?” Looking to my left at Leilani’s mother. 

“Another favour this morning?” She teases. 

“This is something more long term.” I say trying to sort out my thoughts. 

Her mother notes the change in my tone. “What is it sweet pea?” 

“I don’t know if Leilani told you, but I’m moving Sunday.” Her mother goes to ask a question, I hold up a hand to indicated I’m not finished. “I’m not moving away, just to another part of town. As I mentioned on Monday, my brother thinks I require proper adult supervision, so I’m moving in with Beth and her parents at Winslow Manor at the end of the week.” 

“Okay. So what’s the favor?” her mother asks.

“My girlfriends and I like our morning walk together. I was wondering if I could come here after work - if I get permission of course - so that we can still have our mornings together. It’s become something we all look forward to.” I say with a hopeful smile. 

Her mother and father look at each other and nod together. “As long as your brother and Beth agree, it’s fine by us. You can leave some of your clothes in the spare bedroom, so you don’t have to always carry a change with you.” Her mother looks thoughtful for a moment. “You said girlfriends…” he eyes me curiously.

“With Monique no longer in her way, Cassandra has openly asked to be my girlfriend and we’ve started dating.” I reply.

“She didn’t wait at all did she?” I get a ‘look’ from her. 

“She actually asked me Sunday night when we were gaming in anticipation that Monique would leave me.” I say almost surprised. 

“The effect you have on Willow Creek girls.” Her mother smiles and shakes her head. 

“I’m not doing it on purpose.” I say in my defense. 

“No, you just openly share your heart, leading to people open theirs.” She smiles. “Are you and Cassandra sexually involved yet?”

“No, I think it might be while before we get that close.” I say calmly. 

“You are planing long term with the Goth girl, she’s not just a fling to you, is she?” her mother quirks an eyebrow at my restraint. 

“The day that Cass openly admitted her affections, I told her we would work at her pace as she sorts through her feelings. After high school, we both have plans for university, we have plenty of time together to take our relationship to the next level.” I smile. 

My girlfriend squeezes my hand, I know that feeling, as I look over to Leilani and see a look of concern.

“No, she is not going to replace you my darlin’, I could never do that to you.” Leilani smiles and relaxes. “Cassandra is my best friend, our friendship is on a different level than what you and I share, that part of my heart has always been hers, we’re just no longer hiding our feelings from one another.” 

“You always knew about Cassandra?” her mother says surprised. 

“Since the sleepover. My relationship with both Leilani and Cassandra changed that night.” I say looking at my girlfriend tenderly. “Leilani was just more prepared to take that change to the next level before my best friend was.” I smile. “Leilani’s suddenly blooming of intimacy was almost too much that night, I am more than happy to give Cass time to realize where she wants our relationship to go from here.” 

Leilani gives me a wink. “I couldn’t keep my hands off of you after that kiss we shared.” 

“About that kiss..” Her mother says needing to solve a curiosity that has been nagging her since this all started. “How did that start?” 

“When I admitted that I am attracted to girls, Leilani got upset.” I start. “I consoled her by holding her in my arms.” I take a breath. “When the girls started going on about boys, and kissing, and such, each of the girls volunteered who had dated.” I give my girlfriend’s hand an affectionate squeeze. “Leilani admitted that she never liked girls before she met me, there was just something about me that was compellingly attractive. When they asked if she’d ever kiss someone she said no.” 

“So where does that lead to you two kissing?”

“Eventually it lead to the girls asking me. Monique and I had sort of started dating by then, and I told them I never kissed a boy before. So then Zoe wanted to know if it was different kissing a girl.”

“I can see where this is going.” Her mother smiles

“Zoe wasn’t willing to be the test subject, so they asked my little heartthrob here to see what two girls kissing looks like.” Leilani giggles. “After making out, well, that sort of got half of the girls turned on.” I say with a slight guilty look. 

“You are that hot of a kisser.” Her mother teases me. 

“The best.” Leilani says in a dreamy voice. 

I give her hand a squeeze. “Cassandra and Zoe both started becoming more affectionate with me after that, Leilani was the only one who wanted more.” 

“Really?” her mother says tilting her head, probing for more.

“Well, I’ve learned that Leilani is willing to try pretty much anything once. If she likes it, she’ll never stop.” I give her a wink and she blushes. “Once the girls were all asleep, she wanted another kiss, which led her to wanting release, to my helping her by… well… getting her off in the bathroom.” I finish with a blush. 

“The things she can do with her tongue..” Leilani says in a sultry tone. 

“Leilani, that’s enough.” Her mother says sternly. 

Her dad starts chuckling. “She gets that from you…” he gives his wife a wink. 

Her mother starts to giggle and we all start to laugh at the inside joke of it all. 

Her mother looks thoughtful for a moment. “So, she never knew about what you have down there that night?” 

“No, I wouldn’t let her touch me there. I told her we’d taken enough risk in someone else’s house, that - seeing as she was tired and satisfied - we should just go to bed.” I reply. “It wasn’t till a week later, the night she applied the burn cream, that was her next chance to try again - seeing as I was already half-naked…” I say with a blush. “I needed to tell her I was trans before she found out by accident.” 

“I thought you two were up something that night.” Her mother gives me a knowing grin.

“Apparently, telling her I’m not the same down there as she is was more of a turn on than a turn off. I’ve tried to slow down the pace of our sexual relationship, but my little chocolate princess here never seems to get enough of it.” I tease her. 

Leilani blushes at my playful term of endearment, and blows me a kiss.   
Her mother puts her hand on ours. “I’m glad you have both found happiness in your relationship. It makes sense now that you’ve told us the whole story.”

“She’s so irresistible momma, I couldn’t help myself.” Leilani says with a dreamy look in her eyes.

My phone chimes.

-= Travis =- Picking you up in 10, ready?

“It’s raining, my boyfriend is offering us a drive.” I say with a smile. 

-= Rose =- I’m having breakfast with Leilani’s family, you can pick us both up there.

“I notice how you make no hesitation now at calling him your boyfriend.” Her dad says quirking an eyebrow.” 

-= Travis =- breakfast, and what else? ;o)

-= Rose =- I have to behave around my gf’s family, we didn’t do much in the shower this morning.

-= Travis =- Much? Right, with you that means alot… ;o)

“Well, once we slept together, it’s sort of hard to say there’s nothing between us, that would just break his heart.” I say as I’m composing my reply. 

-= Rose =- More getting ready, less texting, you better not be messaging me while driving.

-= Travis =- No mom, I’m a safe driver. 

-= Rose =- I’m going to get you back for that.

-= Travis =- Now I’m really looking forward to picking you up. See you soon.

I shake my head as I put down my phone. “There are times I think he’s as bad as you are honey?” I say to Leilani. 

We get ready and her father is leaning against the hall wall. 

“The few times I’ve met the Scott boy, he seemed pretty straight, how does that work with you two?” 

“He’s not interested in what Rose has down there.” Leilani answers for me. _I swear, my girl has no filter._

“That doesn’t bother you Rose?” Her mom says, putting her arm around her husband, as we put our rain gear on.

“No. He treats me like any other boy would their girlfriend. What we share is special.” I reply with a smile.

“Travis is an ass man, and Rose has quite the assets.” Leilani teases. _Yep, no filter at all._

Her dad stands there stunned, her mom tries to say something serious, but breaks out laughing. By her husbands reaction, I can figure out where her hand just moved down to. 

“You are all just too much.” She sighs. “The joys of teens and sexual discovery. At least he can’t get you pregnant.” She smiles.

“No, he can’t. It was an ‘interesting’ talk Monday night with his parents about that.” I say with a frown. 

“Well, obviously they approve, he wouldn’t have spent that night with you if they hadn’t.” Her mother says seriously. 

“Oh, you noticed that, did you?” I say with a blush. 

“The Scott’s van parked in your driveway first thing in the morning? Covered in morning dew, but dry underneath? It was obvious it was there overnight.” Her mother says with a knowing smile. 

A honk from outside breaks our conversation. 

“Gotta go.” I say picking up my backpack and gym bag. 

“Have a good day and a good match tonight.” Her mom says, remembering that I play soccer on Wednesdays. 

We dash out to the van, and I get in the front, sliding my bags to the rear seats beside Leilani. I give Travis a deep passionate kiss and he wimpers and moans at the sudden intensity of my greeting. I kiss down his neck and then leave a love bite at the base of his neck. He grabs my head, but I’m holding strong on the seat to prevent him from moving away. When I’m done he just slumps down in the seat and sighs. 

“Okay, I earned that one..” He says dreamily.

I slide between the seats and join Leilani in the back. She’s giggling. 

“That’s what you get for calling your concerned girlfriend something she’s not.” I say with a smug tone as we settle in for him to drive off. “Obviously you needed a reminder.”

“Hmm.. I really should tease you more often.” He says with a grin as we pull out to get the Goth children. 

“You two take playful teasing to a whole new level.” Leilani says with a cheeky grin. 

“I guess we do.” I say with a giggle. I look at my boyfriend lovingly and he’s returning the look through the rear view mirror. 

We reach the Goth household, Cassandra and her brother come down the stairs as we pull alongside the house. Alexander hops in first, Cassandra’s good morning to me is to pop her head into the door, and give me a loving kiss before closing the door and hopping in beside Travis. We trade our good mornings, as he starts to drive off. 

“So, Newcrest after school?” Cassandra starts. 

“Yes, think your parents won’t mind a road trip honey?” I ask. 

“Not at all, they encourage the school spirit. As for rides, all I’ll have to worry about is Cass, Leilani, Zoe and maybe Trent. Tim says he’s able to get the family van for the rest of our friends.

Between the two, we’ll still have room to ferry most of you girls home after supper if needs be.” He says with a smile. 

“I almost feel sorry for what Villa Bovine is about to experience.” Cass giggles. “We are not a quiet crowd!” 

“What did our server Brittany call us the last time we were at the restaurant?” Travis comments.

“The Brady Bunch kids.” I say thoughtfully. “I had to search online for the reference, and I think she has us pegged pretty good, a family of kids from different parents.” 

“With you as our anchor.” Leilani says leaning against me. 

I blush at her comment and put my arm around her. I’m the one who needed support 8 months ago. And yet, more than one person lately have told me that I’m their inspiration. Where would I be today if my brother hadn’t taken me away that night last spring?

Wednesdays are mostly grade 10 classes. So I spend a good deal of my morning with Tim and Trent. Between new subject matters in Geo and English Trent is on about soccer - of course. And not just my game. The boys team goes against Twin Brook on Thursday. That’s two road trips for my friends and I, as Twin Brook is just 20 km away from Newcrest. They are often considered sister towns due to the same size and general layout - like the same civil engineer designed both towns along the river that winds it’s way down to Willow Creek.

When Tim can, he talks about Refuge and what my plans are for my character, wondering if I’ll try the new Survival tree like Cassandra had mentioned. I told him what I told my girlfriend. I’m going to stay Marksman to protect the rear flank.

The boys and I bump into Yasmin and Brad before we enter the cafeteria. 

“You could at least show some regret that you and Monique split up, you know.” Yasmin says after giving me a hug. 

I give her a blank look, unsure what to answer. 

“Where’s your pack of love interests right now?” She probes me. 

“Probably inside starting lunch. These boys are in my grade 10 classes, my boyfriend and girlfriends are in my own grade.” I don’t hold back in my admission. 

“I need to go in and talk to the guys about something.” Brad says finding an excuse to leave. He gives her a kiss on the cheek and enters the cafeteria. 

“Girlfriends? You’ve been busy.” Yasmin teases me.

“The whole school knows the reason we broke up, it’s because Monique wanted a monogamous relationship, and she was only one of the people I was dating.” I say in annoyance. 

“I know, I was just warming up to my next question.” Yasmin gives me a wide smile. I can hear the provocative undertone building up.

“I’m not going to start dating you as long as your still hanging off of Brad’s arm Min.” I use the nickname her friends call her. “I’ve already dealt with his jealousy once, I’m not going to have to look over my shoulder every day to wonder when he’ll blow up next.” I say with a frown. 

“Am I that predictable?” her smile doesn’t drop, but I can hear the disappointment in her tone.

I walk up to her and lean towards her ear. “Like that day I comforted you, I can smell your excitement right now.” She whimpers, I am so close to embrace her, but haven’t. “I can give you more than he ever can, but I don’t want there to be obstacles.” 

I lean back and look into those beautiful dark brown eyes. “You’ll have to make a choice, don’t worry, I’m patient.” 

She motions as if to kiss me, but I take a step back, she’s still standing there stunned as I turn and put my arms around the boys’ shoulders and walk away. 

“You know, you can be the worst cocktease going, and you have one.” Tim says looking over his shoulder. 

The three of us chuckle as I let them go and we head towards our friends. 

Trent greets Zoe with a kiss and she shifts her chair so that she’s leaning against him as they eat. He moves his seat so that she’s leaning against his left chest. They make such an adorable couple, I’m glad it’s working out with them. 

“What took you so long?” Travis asks as I settle between my girlfriends and pull out my lunch. 

“Yasmin wants in on our little circle.” I say without reserve. “I told her to dump the jock, I don’t need his jealously constantly creeping up behind us in school.” 

Cassandra quirks an eyebrow. “And when were we going to be asked if we want Yasmin in our little circle?” There is a touch of annoyance in her tone.

“Yasmin and Brad have been together since grade 11.” Zoe says. “As much as what Rose has to offer, she’ll never leave him. Even if she does he’ll spend the next few months pining after her, it would be annoyingly sad and pathetic. She’s better off staying where she is now - even if she’s finding him boring.”

“I can see the attraction. Rose is anything but boring.” Leilani says leaning against me suggestively. I turn and give her a light kiss. She sighs and leans against my shoulder, she’s so much happier now that she doesn’t need to hide her affections.

“That is what Yasmin’s looking for.” Travis says at Leilani’s actions. “A partner who’s openly affectionate in public, Brad’s amazingly talented, and even a bit smart, but he has the social graces of a moose.” 

I take a bite of my sandwich. “To think, a year ago that would very much describe me. I went from being picked on, to picking on people like Brad does. All so that I could - in some way - gain acceptance from my teammates.” 

“What changed?” Brent asks.

“I got into a serious fight last winter, nearly got suspended from school. I beat the boy up badly. My father grounded me and I was… punished.” I grip the table hard as I try to push back the emotion following the memory. “When Dave came home, he saw the change in me, took me away from my parents.” I look up unable to stop the tear rolling down my cheek. “I took the support group 3 months to break me out of my shell and help me realize I can be better.” I sniffle. “I owe them so much.” 

Cassandra leans against me and looks at me worried. “Honey, are you going to be okay?” She’s seen the start of my meltdowns. I nod, but she’s not convinced. “Do you want to go someplace and talk about it?” I shake my head. “Rose, talk to me.” Cassandra says insistently, and gently pulls my chin so that I’m looking at her. Her eyes are full of love and concern. I let go of the table, and put my arms around her. I pull her close and we share a long and loving kiss. Like that one time with Monique. My emotion drains through our tender embrace, and my pain is replaced by her love.   
After what felt like a small eternity we break our embrace, and she smiles at me, and wipes the tear from my cheek. This is the second time she’s helped me through an emotional overflow, her tenderness is amazing. 

“Thank you.” I say and lean my head on her shoulder. I can feel Leilani leaning against my back, her head on my shoulder. Cuddled with the two of them my meltdown dissolves and I wipe away a tear before looking up. She gives me one more soft kiss and then we resume eating. 

“That was so beautifully romantic.” Zoe sighs. “I can now see why Rose fell in love with you Cassandra. You give her something I don’t think any of us can.”

Trent watches as my girls help bring me back to a calmer state. “I’m sorry Rose, we sometimes forget that you’ve had a harder past than most of us.” 

“It’s okay.” I look over to Cassandra. “She knew I needed to get this out of me before game today, or it would have thrown me off.” I give her another small kiss. “It’s why she prompted me to spill it, knowing she’d be there to help me through the meltdown.” I look at her affectionately. “Just like last time.” 

“Only I have a new tool to help.” She says with an affectionate caress on my cheek, wiping the last of my tears. “I didn’t know then what a kiss could do to help you.” She kisses my cheek and goes back to eating her lunch.

“You two make such a lovely couple.” Zoe says dreamily. She draws Trent’s arms around her and pulls herself into a hug. “We all need someone we can lean on.” She looks up at him affectionately and he looks down and they share a kiss. 

“I never would have imagined being this affectionate with a girl before.” Trent says as she playfully rubs his nose. 

“Thank Rose honey, she makes public affection something to be encouraged.” She says to him softly. 

I look up to see Monique shoot us an angry glare before storming out of the cafeteria. Min gives me one last glance and shrugs as she follows her friend out to console her. Should I feel guilty that I triggered her jealous outburst just now? 

“I’d say someone still misses out on what we’re all sharing.” Travis says quietly after the doors close behind Monique and her friends. 

“Only she never wanted to share what we have with Rose to begin with. She wanted Rose all to herself, which is why she never sat with us.” Cassandra in mild annoyance. 

I look at my girlfriend with a look of surprise. She’s right. Monique never once asked to sit with me and my friends, I had to leave them to sit with her. Dave berated me that, because I spent time away from Monique, it opened the door for other relationships. But Monique, in all her possessiveness, never pushed my friends out. She would just try to pull me away from them. As long as I was isolated, she had control, but she never once forced my friends away.

I look at Leilani, she has a cunning smile on her face. “You sneaky little minx.” I give her nose a tap, and she giggles.

Tim looks over at us. “What do you mean?”

“Leilani here figured out that Monique’s tactic was to try to make **me** leave you all. While she would exhibit minor twinges of jealousy, she never really threatened any of you or pushed you away.” I look around the group and back at Leilani. “As long as I wouldn’t abandon you, Leilani just bid her time waiting for Monique to finally give up.” 

“It worked.” Leilani says with a sly smile and munches on her lunch. 

I put my arm around her and she leans against my shoulder again. “What am I going to do with you? Hmmm?

“I have a few ideas.” She snuggles up with me a purrs. 

“I swear, Leilani was never this bad before she met you.” Cassandra says shaking her head. 

“You just never saw it, cause I never had the right outlet for my affections.” Leilani says matter of fact in her defense. 

“Oh, is that all I am to you? An outlet?” I say teasingly. “Here I thought we had more.” I say in a huff. She gives me a mock pout, I poke her tickle spot making her ‘eep’ and jump away from me, bringing us to laugh. I give her a kiss as a consolation for teasing her and she happily settles back against me. 

Brent watches our interactions. “So, Cassandra is the love of your life, your deep emotional bond. Leilani is the playful, fun side of sex. What does that make Travis?” 

“The man of my life. The first person to treat me as the woman I am.” I say without hesitation. I can see Cassandra start to build up an argument. “Oh. Don’t get me wrong, till any of you knew I was different, you all treated me like a girl. This has nothing to do with me being transgender, it has to do with how Travis has always seen me.”

“And what’s that?” Brent asks looking for more. 

“The woman of my dreams.” Travis answers for me. “The day I met her, I was hoping that she would see me as her boyfriend.” 

“And the night he invited me over for supper, he got more than he was expecting.” I give him a sultry smile and he blushes.

“So, it all started with you two because Travis invited you over for supper?” Tim says surprised. 

“It was in the way that Travis said that his parents wanted to meet me.” I say teasingly, and he blushes. “The conversation over supper was to see if I was girlfriend material.” I lean my head on my hands and look at Travis. “I knew that Travis saw me differently, by the way he spoke about me to his parents, he hid it really well up until they indirectly spilled the beans.” I say with a coy smile. “Which is why I got him to kiss me that night. I wanted to see if he would follow through with what his heart was yearning for.” 

“Once you kiss Rose. You embrace her fully, she doesn’t hold back. The love and passion she shares, there is really nothing else you can do but follow willingly. It’s like yearning for a forbidden fruit that you can never taste enough of. And in your time together she always makes you feel special, fulfilled, and content.” Travis smiles. “I had a crush on her the day we met, the more we spend time together, the more I can’t live without her.”

“You are such a romantic.” I say with a loving smile. 

“I’d say that is pretty much spot on with what Rose does to any of us.” Cassandra says with an affectionate smile. 

“I could never put it in better words.” Leilani says snuggling up to me. 

Tim has this dreamy look on his face.

“There are some things that magics cannot control my young Nemarcus. You may not yet be ready to embrace such teachings.” I say playfully, calling Tim by his character’s name. 

“What?!” Tim suddenly gets all defensive and we start laughing. 

“Nope, not ready for that.” Cassandra says giggling. 

Brent looks back at the door. “Well, that makes more sense now…” 

“You have to be prepared to share that experience with others.” Cassandra says. “Monique wanted this all for herself, that was her first mistake.” She leans her head against my shoulder. “I almost made that mistake myself. It’s selfish and unfair to want Rose all to yourself, to deny others the happiness that she has to offer. I count myself blessed that she shares her heart with me.”   
We look at each other and share a kiss as the bell rings. 

We get up together, Cass and Leilani hang back to allow me to wrap my arm around Travis. I give my boyfriend a loving kiss. We walk out, holding each other. Cassandra and Leilani take hold of our hands when there’s room enough for us all to walk together. 


	8. Soccer Fun

The teachers let those of us attending the game to leave a bit early. This gives the girls and I time to change into our team sports clothes. We’re all rocking the brown and gold school colours, and we line up by the doors as we wait for the bus to pick us up. 

“Okay, seeing as it’s still raining here, we’re going to take our first team photo over in Newcrest.” Says coach.

He starts handing us our jackets as we each head on to the bus. The bell rings, so we hurry to board the bus and get on our way so that we’re not in the way of the normal after school rush.

Newcrest is about an hour’s drive away, so we’ll be playing a bit later than we normally do. 

Tina sits beside me and nudges me. “So, I know most team captains don’t have trouble dating, but how is it you always seem to have 2 girlfriends and now a boyfriend on the go?” 

“Apparently I’m irresistible.” I say with a smile. “I have more romantic interests up north in Britechester.” 

“Wow. You really get around.” She says teasingly. 

“I honestly don’t do this on purpose, most of my love interests pursue me. Travis is the only one I’ve purposefully gone after.” I say in my defense. 

“Well, for a geek he is kind of cute.” Tina says with a smile. 

“Speaking of geeks, you would not believe how much of a romantic Brent is.” Amber says behind us. “He’s so adorable, and looking hotter now that I’m getting him in shape.” She says with a cunning smile.

“Travis says that’s the side effect of dating a jock.” I smile and we all giggle. 

“So what makes you so irresistible?” Tina probes for more. _Is she looking for tips?_

“You mean, outside the fact that I’m tall, lean, effeminate and muscular? All of my love interests seem to be fixated on my body.” I reply in a flat voice.

“You sound almost annoyed by that.” Tina replies.

“Well, I have so many other talents, it would be nice to have someone to be attracted to something else than my physique for a change.” I say in mild exasperation. 

“I think there is more to it than just your looks.” Amber says with conviction behind me. “You have a certain energy about you that seems to attract people. You almost always seem to have a smile or say something positive, you’re funny..” 

“Amber, quit trying to butter me up, you already have a boyfriend in the making.” I tease her and we all giggle. 

“I think you just proved her point.” Penny grins beside her. “That perpetual comedic flirting that you do to everyone.” She continues to smile. “I think we’ve all found that part of you attractive.” 

There are several nods from the girls around me on the small bus we’re using. I blush at the fact that my team finds me … attractive.

“That explains why people are drawn to you.” Tina says. “But that doesn’t explain what makes you so irresistible.” My friend is not letting this go.

“Well, according to Travis, once you’ve kissed me, then there is no going back. How I put all of my emotion into loving them, making each one feel special in their own way.”

Tina gives me a side-long glance. “You really love him don’t you? You talk about Travis more than anyone else, it must be serious between you two.”

I blush. “Does it show that much?” I smile. “There is just something about him. The way he smiles, the way he sees things differently than other people. I guess I was as drawn to him as he was me when we first met. It took me by surprise, I had never found boys attractive before I met Travis.” 

“Really?” Carol across from us says in surprise. “You never dated boys before?” 

“Well, that would have made me gay before my transition.” I reply to Carol. 

“Right. She says. I know you told us that you are a transgender girl, but we don’t see that on a day-to-day basis.” She blushes slightly. 

“Yet none of you hesitated when I came out to you.” I say curiously. 

“Well, like Carol said. We don’t see you like that. To us, you are one hell of a knockout athlete, probably the best this school has seen in years. How is what you have between your legs going to change how we feel about you? It hasn’t changed how you treat us as a team, or as friends.” Angela says beside her. “You are the same Rose we have all grown fond of.”

“Compared to Brad and myself, I would take that as a compliment.” Tina says teasingly and I blush. “Whatever drove you into sports, as much as it probably has some bad memories attached, you are an amazing athlete.” 

“My father would push me till I won first place at everything. Until then, I wasn’t good enough.” I say with a sad smile and put my head down. 

“No.” Tina says as she grabs me by the shoulders. “Look at me, don’t make this a bad thing. I know there are some bad memories linked to how you got here, but they aren’t you. You are better than you give yourself credit. Just know that you are amazing, you don’t have his performance bar to reach anymore. Okay?”

I look up at her as a tear runs down my cheek. I nod, give her a weak smile, sniffle and take a deep shaking breath. “Sorry. It creeps up on me from time to time.” 

Tina gives me a hug, and I gladly return it. 

She turns around, still holding my shoulder. “In the time we’ve worked together, you’ve all demonstrated that we can work as a team. Even though Rose is our team captain, if we continue to work together, as a team, we will win this match. No one player is special, we all have our own talents and abilities. For the team!” She says it for my benefit as much as the others. 

“For the team!” the girls reply. “Go Mudders!”

Coach smiles. “I was going to keep that pep talk to when we got there.” We all giggle and laugh. “But Sommers is right. You have all shown good team play from the day we started. I don’t know if it’s cause I got the most resilient out of the school by getting you to keep up with your team captain, but I’m proud of what you have achieved so far.” He stands up and looks around the bus. “Today is not about winning the game, it’s about working together to reach your goal. Newcrest’s favorite tactic is divide and conquer. They will crowd around a team’s star player and keep them back. So I want you girls to show them that you are all stars in this game. Keep them guessing. Soon as one of you gets overwhelmed, don’t try to push through, pass it off to a free teammate, work at keeping the ball in their end, their defense is weak, so we can lean on that.”

He looks at the 10 of us on the bus. “Now Sorento, Appleby, Nakagashi, Stuart, Jenkins, and Lewis.” He points to our support players. “You may not see action on the field today, but know that you just are as important to us as the girls up front here are. Your role isn’t just a bench warmer. You’re to keep ready in case one of our girls gets hurt or worn out. I don’t want to have any of you push yourselves past your limits today. If you feel tired, if you are hurt, swap out with a fresh player. We’ve only done practicing so far, this is going to be more intense than you are used to.”

I lean my head on Tina’s arm as the coach goes on about strategies. “Thank you.” I say softly so as not to interrupt his pep talk. “You’ve been my support and good friend from day one. I don’t know what I did to deserve your dedication, but I hope never to disappoint you.”

“You didn’t know me outside of gym class. Yet, you wouldn’t let me walk away from the field that first day. I didn’t think my parents would be able to afford the gear fees, but you insisted I stay on the team. Your faith in my abilities cemented our friendship, cause you’ve asked nothing in return. Not once have you made me feel like I owe you something for being here today. The other girls noticed what you did. You taught us a team looks out for one another. That is why we follow you without question.”

I pull her into another hug an we hold each other for a bit. The rest of the team notices and we get a resounding ‘awe’ from the girls. 

Without thinking, I cup her cheek and give her a soft kiss on the lips. “Thank you.” I say with a smile.

Tina looks shocked for a moment, then blushes, leans against my shoulder to hide the redness of her face.

There is a small giggle from the girls as Tina tries to hide her reaction from my little show of affection.

“Okay, now I understand why you are so irresistible.” Tina whispers in my ear affectionately. _Oh dear, I did it again._ “You do make each of us feel special in our own way.” I can feel the smile against my cheek. “Thank you.” 

She finally has her self composed, and gives me a quick kiss on the cheek as she backs away. She shifts herself to face the front of the bus and leans into the front of my shoulder. Without thinking, I slide my left arm around her back, she snuggles into me more, and takes my hand, entwining our fingers. It makes me wonder if she’s been hoping for this tenderness in our friendship for awhile, it just feels so natural to hold her like this.

We get to Newcrest and start piling out of the bus. We are parked in an auxiliary area, close to the field. The school parking lot looks packed, filled with cars from fans of both teams. This is going to be a big match. 

We line up and Mitchel, our school photographer, takes a few shots. First with the whole team. He then asks for just the main 5, and a one of just Tina and I. Finally, one of our goalie sitting on the grass, holding a soccer ball. 

“I’ll try to get some play shots during the game.” He smiles as we gather our things.

We run down to the field, I can see families from Willow Creek start to fill the visitor stands on the field. I spot Travis, Cassandra, and Leilani up front, our other friends are seated behind them. Zoe and Trent are cuddled up against each other. I excuse myself from the team and run over to my friends. We give each other a group hug and I get supporting comments from everyone. As they each break off, I give Leilani a kiss, followed by a slightly shy kiss from Casandra - she’s not used to this many people. It leaves Travis and I alone, holding hands. 

“You’re going to do great today.” He says with a wide smile. “My treat if the team wins.” 

“I love your incentive darlin.” I say with a smile. He pulls me in tight, and we share a long loving kiss, my friends cheer on our show of affection to everyone. 

The referee blows his whistle, and I break the embrace. I give him one last kiss before I join my team on the field. 

“And just how did you manage to hold back that much love in public with him before?” Tina says teasingly. 

“It was just something I had to do.” I say as I blush. 

“Well, your friends definitely approve of your relationship, I’ve never seen them cheer you on like that with your ex.” Tina smiles. “You two make a beautiful couple.” 

“Thanks.” I say. 

My attention is drawn to the referee who’s come on the field with a ball. “Flip for first kick, visiting team calls it.” 

“Tails.” I say without hesitation. 

As the ref flips the coin and lets it land on the ground. It bounces a bit, but lands on tails. My opponent gives me a growl and a challenging look. I give her a smug smile. 

“Watch and learn.” I say to her.

The whistle blows, she’s expecting me to take the ball, instead, I kick it between her legs, she looks down in surprise. I take that opportunity to dodge around her left side and grab the ball behind her. I make to go right down the middle of the field, and see the two defense closing in front of me. I hear Tina’s whistle call to my right, and just as I’m about to reach the defense, I side kick to my teammate. I go left as they chase the ball to the right. Just as they close on her, she kicks the back a touch as Amber dashes by. Taking the ball she runs towards the stands to get away from the defense, when she notices she’s clear, she kicks the ball towards goal for me to intercept it. I feign a kick to the right. As the goalie moves to intercept, I shift my position, taking five steps to the left and kicking the ball in the bottom left corner. The goalie doesn’t have time to recover fast enough, and we do a quick first goal. 

The Willow Creek stands are full of hoots, cheers and whistles. Amber and Tina join me as we slowly jog back to middle field, we high five each other at our team work. 

“Next run, it’s Tina’s shot, if they picked up that I’m predominantly left, they’ll focus defense on their right flank, find your opening.” I say and the girls nod as we gather in our positions. 

My opponent has first kick, and I let her confidently kick the ball to my right. Amber signals Penny to intercept, and the girl gets about 10 feet before Penny zips in front of her, carrying the ball to center field, where she then kicks the ball to Amber. I make to the left field, and - sure enough - the defense starts crowding on me. Amber kicks the ball lightly, so that Tina can pick it up as she comes running up the centre field. She nearly reaches goal when the defense catches up to her. She kicks the ball to the right for Amber to catch, She’s too close to the end line to make a shot to goal herself, but the defense foolishly crowd in front of the goal, blocking their goalie’s view. Amber points that she’s going for the bottom right corner only to kick the ball to her left for Tina to pick up and kick it hard across to me. As the goalie moves to intercept my shot, I pass it back to Tina who puts it into the goal. 

I can see the disappointment in their goalie’s face. We’re already 2-0 and it’s been less than 20 minutes into the game. 

We run back to the center field, hands up in the air, causing the Willow Creek crowd to cheer us on more. I’m running on a demoralizing tactic. Get the opponents to hate me so that they will make more mistakes. 

I make a few hand motions, indicating for our defense to get ready. I’m going to let the other team build up some false confidence. I tell the Ref to let my opponent take first shot. He’s surprised and nods. I let her drive to the right, picking up on her tactics. Her forwards get a little more aggressive and run past our defense. I point for Penny and Carol to cover them, for Amber to stay here and Tina and I run after their captain. With Tina and I on each side of her, she’s forced to do a straight run, and kicks the ball in Angela’s eager hands. 

I point towards Amber, and Angela does a hard toss, it’s not going to make it to her, so Penny picks up the ball, dodging her opponent, and carries the ball to center field. Tina runs up the middle, and takes a long shot at the goal, knowing that their defense would intercept. We watch as they pass the ball, looking for an opening. When the left defense kicks to their team captain, I sprint forward and intercept the ball before it reaches her. I give a defense-line kick to their goalie, knowing she’d catch it. I want to see Newcrest’s tactics before we make our next attack. 

She throws it down middle field, Tina head butts the ball before it can even get very far, I catch her toss with my stomach, letting it roll down my body, then kick it over to Amber, who then makes our 3rd goal of the game.

Our coach calls for time, and the ref blows his whistle. We run back to our stands and Travis hands me my water bottle. I give him a kiss and we gather around the coach. 

“Good aggressive start girls, but you are getting them angry.” He says looking at each of us. “Play the ball around the field till mid-game, maybe even let them take a few shots, you’ve seen their tactic Montgomery?” 

I nod. “They favor letting their team captain take all the shots at goal, the forwards are just there to keep the ball from our defense.” 

“They’re not used to getting swamped at their end, the goalie is probably going to get swapped out.” Tina says and we all nod. 

“Okay, so you know what you need to do. Let them play with the ball, but keep it away from their captain as much as you can.” We all nod to coach’s comment take another swig of water and head out. 

As we get on the field, sure enough, they’ve swapped out their goalie. We get first kick, and Tina and I do our zipper run up the middle, causing the defense to stand in front of us, and the forwards to flank, It’s not going to be an easy shot. I make a pass to Amber, but their captain comes running past and takes the ball. 

She is running for all she is worth, I dash to catch up, I signal Penny to intercept, but tell Carol to stand, I don’t want them rushing her. Sure enough she takes an aggressive shot from the defense line. Angela intercepts it, throws the ball to Carol who’s ready to run it forward. She’s blocked by their two forwards, and her pass over to Amber is intercepted. The ball is kicked back to the captain, who makes another run up the middle. I surprise her by catching up, running along side her for a few feet, then dash in front of her, taking the ball from her. I don’t think their captain is used to having as fast as an opponent as I am. 

I pass the ball to Penny, who kicks it to Amber, and we start running up the field, passing the ball between the three of us, their defense is confused as who will take a shot as the ball is passed forward, behind, and to the side, but we never past the defense line. One of the defense gets bold and intercepts Amber’s pass to Tina and the ball heads towards our end. With their captain waiting. Penny suddenly dashes in front of her kicking the ball to Carol. Their captain, whether by accident or on purpose, catches Penny’s shin with her right foot, and she suddenly tumbles. Penny comes up wincing in pain as she hobbles for a bit. 

Sue, Pam and Brianna run out on to the field. Penny’s sister Pam stays behind as Penny is carried off the field by Sue and Brianna. There is a pause while the Ref checks over the damage with the field medic. She’ll be fine, but it’s enough to call an obstruction penalty. The Medic wraps her shin and she sits there with an ice pack to reduce the swelling. 

“That was a cheap shot.” Tina says with a growl. 

I nod. “Time to see what their other goalie is made of.” I give a cunning smile. 

I give Pam a reassuring pat on the shoulder as we gather on the side for the penalty kick. As Penny is out of commission, it’s up to Pam to take the shot. I make a hand motion to feint a kick to me, but to kick to Amber. She nods and goes to kick to me only to kick to the left. The ball goes through the opening I spotted and Amber catches the ball. As Tina and I dash forward, our opponents are left scrambling to catch up. Amber kicks the ball to their defense, as it gets kicked back to their captain, Tina dashes beside her, she suddenly does a right hand turn, side-kicking the ball towards me, but missing the shin kick that was surely going to follow. Their captain is using petty tactics to get our main players off the field. I get past the defense and go to kick to the goal, only to pass to Tina instead. The ball rolls just out of reach as the goalie runs forward to intercept my pass, leaving an open goal for Tina to kick in. 

Tina and I run back to center field, flanking their captain. “No more cheap tricks, or we’ll decimate you.” Tina says in an angry tone. She gets a glare back in response. We run forward and Tina suggest we let her take a shot, before their team captain gets truly vindictive. I nod.

They have first kick, and I let her kick past me and Tina and I jog behind her, keeping her isolated from the rest of her team. She manages to get past Pam, and does a curve kick at Angela. Angela blocks it with her arm, but misses catching it, the ball bounces off to the left, and one of their forwards takes an opportune shot and sinks the goal. 

I run up to Angela. “You okay?” She nods. 

“Just stings a bit, I’ll be fine.” She replies. I’m glad the goalies were given long sleeve shirts. The ball on bare skin would have really hurt. 

“Okay, but if it still hurts, don’t push yourself, Brianna is a good goalie too.” I say in a comforting tone. She nods. The ref blows his whistle to call me to center field. 

I look to Tina who shakes her head. She’s worried too. My kick, and I go to kick to Tina, only to kick to Amber instead. Their defense is really starting to ramp up, and we’re having trouble making it to the goal line. 

Finally the Ref calls for half time, and we gather to our stands. I’m greeted with hugs from my girlfriends and boyfriend. They don’t seem to mind the sweaty hug I offer. Tina and I sit on the bench, taking a drink. 

“Half time show?” she says with a playful smile. 

“Synchronous ball juggling?” I ask with a grin. And she nods. 

While the other team is gathering in a huddle for strategy, Tina and I grab two balls from our bag. We start with foot juggling. It only takes us a moment to get in synch and soon we’re doing it in tandem as we move up to bouncing it on our knees. 

“Ankle kick.” I call out out and we bounce the balls back and kick them back up and over with our right foot. “Again” I say, and we kick up this time with our left. 

The crowd is cheering us on as we go to face each other and start to juggle the two balls back and forth. I can hear some of them chanting numbers as they count how many we’ve bounced without missing any. We get up to 50 when the ref whistle catches Tina off guard and she misses her shot. We chuckle and hug, that was so much fun, to think we’ve never practiced this before. Coach just looks at us and smiles, shaking his head. 

We’re at 4-1, and we really don’t need to work at winning this game. Just need to work at keeping them from scoring. “Defensive tactic.” I say before we split to our positions. Let them think they’ll score, but keep them off of Angela as much as possible. The girls nod, I see my goalie is still favoring her arm, but is unwilling to give up her post. 

We let the other team go on the offensive. Their team captain gives me an odd look when I let her run past me a few times without interference. I want to wear their team down. After the third shot on goal Angela winces and holds her right arm. 

I run up to her. “Go get that checked out by the medic.” She doesn’t argue with me, and is about halfway across the field when Brianna takes her queue and runs up to greet her big sister. They give each other a quick hug, and then Brianna comes up to take the post.

“Time to push things.” Tina says and I nod in agreement. 

We keep the ball in their side of the field for the rest of the game, Pam kicking it forward whenever it crossed center line. Their replacement goalie is pretty good, we take four shots on goal before I finally sink one with a high left corner trick shot. 

“How are you that good that I’ve never seen you before? Name’s Sam.” Their team captain says in admiration. 

“They didn’t have soccer in my last school.”I say as we walk back to center field, we’re all breathing pretty hard. 

“I know I started off angry, but you have been a worthy opponent.” She smiles. And we trade arm pats and a handshake before we go for what is probably going to be the last face-off for the game. 

Sam gets kick and for the first few minutes they keep the ball on our side of the field. We finally push the tide, but the whistle blows before we can make any goals. 

For a team that just lost 5-1 they don’t look demoralized at all. As we all start walking off the field. “Sam pats me on the back.” You taught my team a good lesson today.” She says with a smile.

“We’re going to work on our defense, and I expect to be facing you again in the finals.” 

I smile back at her. “I look forward to a rematch.” 

We line up and shake hands with one another and head off to our friends and family. 


	9. After the Game

I feel sorry for the Villa Bovine. We’re nearly 20 teens invading their restaurant for an after game winning celebration. The bus drops us off, and we navigate past all the cars parking. I’m soon joined by Travis and Leilani who each put their arm around me. Cassandra is a bit shy, she’s walking beside Travis, but I see her shoulder move, and put my left arm out and we hold hands behind his back as we walk into the restaurant. Tina and Amber hold the doors open so we don’t have to break our hold of one another. 

We get assigned a long table along the back wall, I find myself cornered against the back bench with Cassandra on my left, Travis on my Right and Leilani sitting beside him. Tina is sitting across from me with Brent & Amber to her right. Zoe and Trent to her left. The sisters sit together on either side of my friends. Sue is the only other one with a companion. Her and this Freshman Alice seem to have started a relationship recently. I guess my relationship with my girls has encouraged her that it’s okay to show up with your girlfriend at an event, and everyone be okay with it. 

As we’re waiting for our appetizers to arrive, we’re filling up our glasses with the three pitchers of Iced Tea that were brought to the table. I spot Veronica and her family enter the restaurant, but I have no way out, and I’m not about to ask 5 people to move to do so. 

“Excuse me, I need to meet a friend.” I say out loud, I put my feet up on the bench, I bend backwards, and do a handstand on the top of the bench, using the back wall to not fall till I get my balance. 

“What are you doing?!” Cassandra says in a shocked tone.

“I need to meet a friend.” I say with an upside down grin.

I lean a bit and give her a kiss as she’s looking up at me. And the table cheers on my antics. I start walking on my hands along the back of the bench, kissing Travis and Leilani as I go. At this point the table is cheering my motions and most of the restaurant is looking our way. I give Tim’s neck a tickle, as he’s sitting on the end before doing a cartwheel to stand upright again.   
Everyone at the table is clapping and cheering as I put my arms up in a ‘tada’ motion. I make my way over to my friend’s stunned family. Veronica takes at step forward and gives me a hug. 

“Showoff.” She tease me in a soft almost feminine voice when we finally let go of each other. “I knew your hugs would be worth the wait.” 

‘Ronnie turns to her family and introduces me as one of her support group members. 

“I guess I can forgive you for being from Willow Creek.” Her brother says with a chuckle, he shakes my right hand firmly as Ronnie is still hugged against my left side.

“So you two met online?” Her mother says with surprise. 

“The bulk of the support group is centered in Britechester, we also give the support group’s chat site and resource page to high school students inspiring to come up to Britechester once they graduate. This way they are entering university with friends they can lean on if things get overwhelming.” I say with a smile - having remembered Jane’s speech. 

“Oh, so you’re not originally from Willow Creek then.” Her father catches on to my comment. 

“No, I came down here as it was a more queer friendly environment than where I was living previously.” I say my smile dropping a bit. 

“Unlike Vern here, I had a seriously disagreeing father. I left the city and joined my brother up in Britechester for the summer as I means to escape and start transition early.” 

“So you can start before the end of high school?” Her mother seems surprised. “You look so feminine. 

“My case is not common, it was due to the severity of my situation that my therapist suggested an early transition. Usually someone under 18 would be put under hormone blockers to slow puberty instead of starting replacement treatments."

“So those are the pills your therapist gave you?” her father asks my friend. 

“Yes, they’re only blockers for now dad. I’ll be given another assessment next year after I graduate to see if I still want to continue and start hormone replacements like Rose has.”

“I’m glad our daughter has found people that can help and support her.” 

Her mother voice is low, so that the term doesn’t spread further than our discussion. I can see her brother get uncomfortable a bit, he’s still getting used to the concept he’ll have a sister soon. 

“We had no idea where to start, till the GSA in Vern’s school told us about your group. Your moderators have helped us find a therapist and doctor to help.” Her mom smiles.

“Jane and Ali are great people. They’ve helped me a lot too.” I smile back. Veronica is hugged against me so tight that she looks more like my date than a friend. I give her a small squeeze, and she breaks out of daze. She blushes and lets me go. 

“Sorry, I’ve known Rose for a few months now, and was told that the hug would be worth the wait. 

Her dad gives her a shoulder hug. “That’s okay. I can understand the excitement of finally meeting a close friend in person.” 

I look over my shoulder and see the plates of food being delivered. “Look, I should go back with my friends before they eat all the food on me.” I say with a grin. Her family chuckles. “If you ever need anything, just send us a message, I can give ‘Ronnie my phone number if you like, seeing as I live close by.” 

“Oh, so we’ve settled on Veronica, have we?” He looks down at her, her father is so tall. I hadn’t realized I used her online nickname. She blushes and nods. “Good, I like that name.” He smiles. 

We part our ways and Ronnie gives me one last hug. “Thanks”, she says with a wide smile. “I’ll try to come down to visit when I can.”

“That would be great” I give her one last squeeze and head back to my table. 

I’m intercepted by one of the waiters. “The owner would like it if you not try a hand-stand across the bench again. You made a few people here nervous.” 

“Understandable.” I say with a smile. I look at the table thoughtfully. “Well, if I can’t go over, I’ll go under”, and I scoot under the table, tickling and squeezing legs as I go. There are a series of eeps, giggles and gasps as I make my way to the open seat and squeeze my way back into my place. 

Jennifer giggles. “There’s never a dull moment with you around.” 

“Not with her and Leilani in the same place.” Cassandra grins, teasing my girlfriend. 

“I’m behaving this time.” Leilani says in her defense, but her tone has us all laughing. 

“Who are they that you needed to see them so desperately? The way he hugged you...” Travis starts. 

“ **She** is a member of my support group, one of 4 of us under 20, so we sort of all gotten really close with one another.” I stress the gender correction and Travis blushes. 

“I guess it takes awhile for a transgender girl to look as feminine as you do.” Cassandra comes to his defense. 

“You wouldn’t have recognized me half a year ago.” I agree with her. “Even then, some girls never reach what I’ve achieved. Starting hormones so young, I look very much like the rest of you, some that start later in life always look more masculine.” 

Tina looks me over a bit. “Hmm.. Broad shoulders, more than twice anyone else’s body strength… Yeah, I don’t see a difference at all.” She teases me and we all laugh.

“Some of us have come to appreciate that exceptional nature.” Cassandra says snuggling up against me and looking into my eyes lovingly. I smile and give her a kiss causing most of the girls at the table to say “Awe!” together. 

“When are you two going to officially start dating?” Penny says. “Most of us have been waiting for the announcement. You two have been cuddly all week.” 

Cassandra looks at me an nods, I smile back. “I guess you could call this our first official date.” 

“Not a very romantic one.” Nali comments. 

“Before I met Rose, I never would have imagined myself sitting in front a of large table of friends.” Cassandra smiles. “I’d say this is pretty momentous.” 

“Considering they’ve been dating in game since Sunday, I’d say it’s about time!” Tim says with a grin. Leaving both Cassandra and I to blush.

“In game?” Carol asks confused. 

“We play the Refuge Online together.” Says Brent. “We all play different character classes that compliment each other.” 

“If Leilani were to ever wear a dress in real life, like the robes her priestess does in game, we’d lose half the boys in school to her.” Tim teases her. Brent whistles in agreement. Leilani blushes and hides her head in Travis’ shoulder. 

Mia watches her actions and gets curious. “So, how does it work with all of you?” The table suddenly gets quiet. 

“From what we’ve seen in school the past week, it’s obvious that the three of them are dating Rose.” Tina says, “I for one am a bit jealous, but I don’t know how she finds the time and energy for more than one relationship.” 

“It’s not just that.” Mia continues. “Leilani and Travis seem to have a thing going as well.” 

“The side effects of sharing a girlfriend.” Travis replies without missing a beat. 

“You should try it sometime, it’s amazing.” Leilani adds in a sultry tone. _I swear, that girl has absolutely no filter._

“The two of you share Rose?” Mia eyes widen. 

“In every way you can possibly imagine.” Leilani says, playing with rim of her glass, giving Travis and I a seductive look. 

“Wooow.” A few of the girls say simultaneously. 

Mia looks at Cassandra, my girlfriend cuts her off before she can say anything. “Rose and I just started dating, we’re not at that point in our relationship yet.”

“Cass is like a sister to me, so don’t expect any stories of kinky foursomes anytime soon.” Travis says taking a drink. _That was rather a bold statement for him._

Leilani gasps and smacks Travis’ shoulder, almost making him spill his drink. “And here you keep telling me to behave!” 

And her silliness has us giggling and laughing again. 

“So what did happen with you and Monique?” Nali asks. She’s a Freshman, so we rarely talk in school. 

“Monique didn’t want to share.” Leilani says matter of fact. I can see the looks of confusion. 

“Leilani has half of that right.” I clarify. “Monique wanted a monogamous relationship.” I look at my loved ones. “That she was only one of my girlfriends upset her.” I say looking down at my plate. “The fact that I was also sleeping with other people behind her back meant, for her, that she could no longer trust me, and she broke off our relationship.” I look up at the table. “Some might call me a slut, a player, or unfaithful. The term my friends up at Uni use is Polyamorous.” I let that sink in a bit. “I don’t purposefully sleep around with others, it’s not a game like what Susan Wilder plays. I love each and every one of them. I will never ask them to pit against each other for my attention or my affection. It is why the 4 of us are so close. There’s no jealousy, no bitterness, no competition between them. I love each and everyone one of them with all my heart. They are each special in their own way, and that’s what helps make us all happy.” 

“That sounds so romantic the way you put it.” Angela says breaking the silence.

“I guess you can say that you’re never alone.” Sue smiles. “You’re almost always together. 

“Except when you have parents won’t let you sleep together.” Leilani says in a sour tone.

I nearly spit out what I was eating and focus hard to swallow. “Leilani!” 

“Come one Rose.” She says pleadingly. “It’s hard to wake up in a bed alone when you know what it feels like to wake up cuddled with the one you love.” 

Carol’s eyes go wide. “So Travis’ comment about a foursome…” 

“Means that Rose has slept with them in bed at least once.” Cassandra finishes. 

“And more than once together.” Leilani coos and snuggles into Travis, leaving the poor boy blushing. 

“We’re trying to figure out how Trav here went from nerd to stud, cause I’d like to learn his secret.” Tim says teasingly. 

“It’s no secret silly, it’s Rose.” Leilani says as if that explains everything. “We went over this at lunch time.” 

Tim looks at me and is about to say something. “I’m not sure you’re ready to take what Rose has to offer.” Travis cuts him off. His tone of voice is playful and has some of the table giggling. 

“Watching the way the Rose kissed Leilani at the slumber party, I don’t think I’d be ready for that either.” Zoe says finally speaking up. Trent looks at her surprised. “It was my fault. I wanted to know if kissing a girl is different than kissing a boy, but couldn’t get up the nerve to have her kiss me.” She says blushing. “Leilani’s always crushed on Rose since the day they met, watching them kiss was amazing.” 

“It sure is.” Travis says dreamily. 

“She that good of a kisser?” Brent says now curious. 

“Her kiss is indescribable, it’s that amazing.” Cassandra says leaning against me. 

Tina touches her finger to her lips for a moment, looks at me and blushes. Even the small affectionate kiss I gave her, I can see she agrees with my lovers.

I can’t believe we’re having this intimate of a conversation with so many people at the table. In some way I guess it’s better this way, they hear it from us rather than rumours. My lovers and I don’t seem to be holding anything back, so any falsehoods will quickly get ignored or shot down. I somehow know that my friends at this table will not go and start rumours of their own.

“I think most of us can agree that Rose gives all of herself freely. I’ve never seen someone with so little reserve as to the affection she shares with everyone.” Cassandra says lovingly. “Everyone that I’ve met loves Rose. We have all felt it in one way or another. We’re more than just friends to her. We all share a deeper connection, almost like family.” 

She looks around the table and sees pretty much everyone nodding. “Rose once told me that she shares her love so freely cause she knows what it is like to be beaten, abused and neglected, and she never wants to see people feel the pain she has felt. I’m sure each and every one of you have, at some time, wondered if there was something more between you and Rose. She will give you her heart if you ask her to, and will stand up for all of you regardless. ”

I can feel the tear of happiness roll down my cheek.

“So, some of the seniors in school are miffed about the way Monique says she was treated. I for one know the truth.” She looks at me. “Anyone with a broken heart here is our Rose, for Monique left her without giving her a second chance. Rose’s only guilt in what happened between the two of them is that she refused to love just one person.”

She wipes the tear from my cheek and gives it a kiss.

“Like I said at lunch time to some of you. It is selfish and foolish to ask Rose to share herself with only one person. To deprive the rest of you what she has to offer would be cruel. So, I am following my heart as Rose has let me into hers, and will gladly follow her no matter what will happen.” 

“That’s so touching.” Angela says. She looks around the table, and sees everyone nod, and smiles. She lifts of her class in a toast. “To Rose and our friendship, together we are one!” 

We all lift our glasses and toast to one another. “Together we are one!” 

My friends are amazing.

The rest of diner passes almost dreamlike. The emotions that built up with Cassandra’s speech still have me in a sense of happiness, almost euphoric. We chat about school, and who’s doing projects, what new subject matter we’re seeing in class. Some comments are passed around about which of the subjects are interesting. We’re all spread out between 3 grades, with Brianna being the youngest of our teammates, and Alice being the youngest of us all. The small brunette reminds me a bit of Dee, she has steel gray eyes that seem to absorb every detail of the interactions that I have with my friends. Being only 15, some of the talk of sexual relationships was probably a bit overwhelming, but she leans against Sue as they share plates together. It’s pretty romantic. I can tell that Alice is not yet comfortable being seen as queer. At first she wasn’t very affectionate with Sue, but - as dinner went on - and she only received acceptance, she became more cuddly with her girlfriend. I see her and Zoe exchange glances from time to time. Yes, they are very much non-athletic girls. Like the boys, being drawn into a team of rambunctious, affectionate, physical, and energetic athletes is taking some getting used to.

I know that Tina, Amber and I are always on the go. Brent said it was a challenge keeping up with his girlfriend. There are times I think Travis is happy that he’s not the only one being dragged all over the place. I almost feel sorry for Beth and her family. Mind you, with them owning two businesses and running a large farm, I think that having a daughter who doesn’t sit still won’t be too new to them. Though not athletic, Beth always seems to busy doing something. If not running the shop, I’ve spotted her around town doing some errand or another. She’ll often be in the bakery before the café even opens, helping her mother and staff get all the goods up for sale for the day. I’m moving into a household of morning people, it’s not going to be easy.

As we’re ended up the meal, the girls are texting family and friends to see about rides. Travis and Tim can carry most of our close friends, but the rest of the girls can’t all fit into 2 mini-vans. We sort out transportation for the remaining girls and call it a night. Like usual we split the bill between us. As promised, because we won the game, Travis pays my portion. He’s such a sweetheart. 


	10. On the Way Home

We pick up our bags at the coat check, and I notice that the side pocket is beeping. I’d forgotten my cell phone in my backpack. 

We climb into the van, with Cassandra up front beside Travis, Leilani & I in the middle, and finally Zoe, Trent, & Tina in the back. I pull out my phone as Leilani snuggles up as best as she can to me while still held in her seat belt. There are two missed calls from my brother and a message from him to call him. _Time to see if he likes my idea._

I dial his number, and it takes a few rings before he answers. 

“Hey kiddo, I thought you and that phone of yours never parted ways.” He says teasingly.

I can hear the smile in his voice. I hope that means he’s in a good mood. 

“Well, it was pretty noisy at the restaurant, I didn’t think I’d be able to hear anyone if I did.” I smile in reply. 

“Restaurant?” Dave sounds surprised.

“After game celebration dinner, we beat Newcrest 5 to 1.” I say loud enough to bring on some cheers from those in the van. 

“Okay, I take it you’re not alone then.” I can still hear the smile in his voice. “Just like Beth said, you never go anywhere alone do you?”

“Umm.. I guess I don’t, no.” I say thoughtfully. It had never occurred to me that I was rarely alone these days. 

“Which brings us to your e-mail request.” Dave says a bit more seriously. “You want to go to Leilani’s place after work so you can walk with your girlfriends to school in the morning.” 

“You know I don’t recall using the term girlfriends in my e-mail.” I say quietly, and Leilani looks at me quizzically. 

“Beth told me that you and Monique broke up and that she also quit the café, I figured Ms. Goth was quite eager to move in and take her spot.” He says in a matter-of-fact tone.

“You read my friends really well.” I say almost annoyed that he saw my relationship with my best friend coming. “You know, this doesn’t break the parental supervision agreement, Leilani’s parents are there, I won’t have access to the house next door..” I start building up my defense. 

“Okay, okay, yes. I get it. You don’t want to go to school alone. They mean that much to you?” he says curiously. 

“I love them with all my heart.” I say without missing a beat. Leilani gives me an affectionate squeeze.

“You didn’t even hesitate, you do love them that much.” He says in surprise. I hear him take a deep breath. “Okay. But if I hear any complaints from anyone…” 

“You won’t” I say with a smile. 

“Deal then. So that you can keep your girlfriends happy. Don’t make me regret my decision.” He says in a cautionary tone. 

“Thank you so much Dave, love you!.” I say with a smile. 

“Love you too kiddo. Take care and if you have team photos, please share.” I hear the smile return. 

“Will do.” I grin and hang up the line. 

Lielani is looking up at my hopefully. “Does that mean we still have our mornings together?” 

“We still have our mornings together.” I say with a broad smile. 

Leilani gives me a long happy affectionate kiss. I feel a hand on my knee and reach forward and find Cassandra’s hand. She gives my hand an affectionate squeeze. 

“And I thought Leilani was affectionate with Travis, the way you two kiss is amazing!” Tina says in mild surprise.

“This is what I was saying over dinner.” Zoe smiles. “They are intense when they get started.” 

“How long did that kiss last during the slumber party?” Tina turns to Zoe curiously. 

“Easily 5 minutes.” Cassandra answers for her. “Being wrapped in Rose’s arms is like falling into a place where time just stands still, and the love you share feels like it lasts forever.” 

“So, I have a quite the example to follow.” Trent teases and we giggle. 

“You haven’t disappointed me so far.” Zoe purrs and snuggles into her boyfriend more. 

I can hear them kiss behind me and I smile. It warms my heart to see my friends happy.

“Once you’ve embraced Rose, it really is hard to let her go, or think of anyone else that can make you as happy as she makes you feel.” Travis says with a smile. 

I feel Tina’s hand on my arm and I can feel the emotional connection we shared earlier in her touch. 

“Yes, I know what you mean.” She says affectionately.

“Rose?” Cassandra says turning around in her chair. “Something happen with you two that you haven’t told us?”

I tense up, and Tina feels it. “Rose had a small meltdown on the bus.” Tina starts as she gives my arm a comforting squeeze. “I was sitting beside her, and managed to calm her down before it got bad, we only shared a small kiss, honest. But she held me in her arms for comfort the rest of the bus ride to Newcrest.” Tina sighs dreamily. “If felt so amazing, like you said, she gives her full love to anyone.” Tina starts caressing my arm affectionately. “I have to admit, I’ve always been attracted to Rose. I hide my affections when she was dating Monique, but our cuddling on the bus felt so natural, like I’ve just been waiting to be held by her. I hope you aren’t upset with me.” 

Cassandra smiles and turns in her seat. I think she likes Tina.

“She really is irresistible.” Leilani says provocatively. Her motions are making my shorts uncomfortable as I start getting hard.

“Leilani, don’t get Rose started here in the van, that’s unfair to the others.” Travis says, I don’t know if he could feel my excitement building, or if he just knows our girlfriend that well. 

“Fine take away my fun.” Leilani says in a pout and we all laugh at her antics.

“How about some music?” Cassandra offers, and we all agree. 

Cassandra doesn’t put the radio loud, there are speakers all along the van, so the sound is equalized without having it blaring from the front. It gives us the opportunity to still speak, but fills in any quiet moments. 

Brent starts on soccer, and his excitement for tomorrow’s game. I comment that I will find a way to honour our deal and see his game as he came to mine. 

“I can probably get the van.” Travis comments. “That way I can get Rose and Zoe to the game.”

My boyfriend is so sweet, it also give him an excuse for us to spend more time together.

“Can I join you?” Tina asks. “My brother Tom is the goalie, and I’d like to cheer him on. I’ll be driving back home with my parents, so I only need a ride there.”

“More the merrier.” Travis smiles

On a hunch, I reach back with my right hand, and - sure enough - Tina’s fingers entwine mine. She has another reason to be there. I smile to myself, wondering where my relationship with her will go.

“I hear Twinbrook’s defense line is quite tough Trent, you boys up for the challenge?”

“Well, we have a star runner on our team this year, so hopefully that will help even the score.” Trent says with a grin. 

“A new player?” I ask, I thought I knew all the boys on Trent’s team by now. 

“Calvin had to drop out due to a back injury at work.” Trent starts to explain. “So he asked his best friend from Track & Field to try out for the team.” I can hear the smile in his voice. “He’s likely as fast as you are Rose. Coach made him our new team captain. He’s, like, the tallest guy I’ve ever met, so he won’t be hard to pick out on the field.”

“I look forward to meeting your new star player.” I say with a curious smile. I note that Trent’s not said his name yet, like the team is keeping him as secret weapon or something. Boys can be so funny.

After a moment, I see Cassandra’s worried look through the rear view mirror. 

“What’s wrong hun?” I ask her. 

She merely shakes her head. “A hunch, but I don’t want to say it till I know for sure.”

For Cass to act like that, I have a feeling I might have some history with this player, I hope it doesn’t hurt the game… I change the subject.

“Are you girls going to join us too?” I ask Cassandra and look at Leilani. 

To my surprised they both decline. I guess between school work and Refuge Online, it’s only fun watching soccer if I’m the one out on the field. I see Travis smile, knowing that we can have some personal time together without having to share me with my girlfriends.

I notice that the rain has finally stopped as we get into town, Travis drops Cassandra off first. I get out so that I can sit up with my boyfriend. I give her a soft loving kiss. 

Cassandra is blushing when we break our embrace. “I never knew a kiss could curl my toes.” She leans against my shoulder and lets out a deep breath. “The more we kiss the better it gets, you are amazing.”

“See you tomorrow.” I say with a smile.

“See you tomorrow.” She gives me one last quick kiss and heads up into her house.

I sit up beside Travis and see his look of longing, and give him a loving kiss as well.

“That was definitely worth the wait.” He says dreamily when we finally part ways. “I’m going to drop you and Leilani off next, as the rest of us all live in my neighbourhood.

“Very well my love.” I lean my head against his shoulder as we pull out.

“I get to see where you live.” Tina says with a smile behind me.

“I won’t be living there for long.” I say sadly. “I’m moving at the end of the week.”

“Oh?” She says, she wasn't there for our lunch-time conversation.

“Apparently I need parental supervision.” I say with an annoyed tone. “So I’m moving in with my brother’s fiancée and her family in Winslow Manor on Sunday.” 

“That’s going to be inconvenient.” Tina says with a frown.

“Tell me about it!” Leilani pouts. “I lose my neighbour, it’s not fair!”

“We’ll find time to be together.” I reach out and hold her hand affectionately. Leilani smiles. 

As we pull up to the house, I give Travis one last loving kiss before going around to the back to get my gear. I come around to see Leilani giving Travis a kiss goodbye. I think she’s start to develop feelings for our boyfriend. I don’t mind, if things go the way they are, she might give him the one thing I can’t - and it oddly doesn’t make me jealous. 

I take hold of Leilani’s hand and give him one last kiss before he leaves. 

“You two are have me spoiled.” He says with a dreamy smile. 

“Good, you deserve it.” I smile and wave as he drives away.

“Speaking of someone who’s spoiled.” Leilani says in a sultry tone, and wraps her arms around me. I look down and she gives me a hot passionate kiss. As loving as my relationship with Travis is, she still really knows how to turn me on. I return her kiss with equal passion, and she moans and whimpers at my touch.

“I need you.” Leilani says breathlessly as we finally break our embrace.

“What about your parents?” I ask. I want her too but I don’t to push it. 

“The car’s not in the driveway, it’s Wednesday, they’re out shopping.” She says hotly looking into my eyes with desire. 

“My house or yours?” I ask not wanting to argue. 

She smiles seductively and starts pulling me to my place. I have my answer. 

No sooner in the door, we start passionately kissing again, starting to strip each other as we make our way towards the bedroom. We roll onto the bed naked still kissing hotly with her on top. 

“I want your mouth somewhere else first.” She says in a sultry voice, turning around and lowering her sex to my face. 

Hmm.. The sweet taste of her honey, and we start a passionate 69 to get each other off. It doesn’t take long, we’re both so worked up that her orgasm isn’t far behind mine. We lay there panting for a few moments hands slowly stroking each other’s bodies. 

“I really needed that.” Leilani sighs as she comes down from her pleasure. 

“You are so amazing.” I kiss her thigh affectionately. “How much more time do you think we have before they get home?”

“Enough time for a 2nd round.” She says seductively.

We move around on the bed so that I’m on top of her and moving my still partially hard cock into her entrance. It doesn’t take long for my member to wake up, and she moans and gasps as she feels me grow and expand in her wet sex. Even though we are short on time, we’re in no rush as we slowly grind against each other, kissing and touching one another, reveling in the feeling of our joined bodies. Her legs wrap around my back as she gets closer to her orgasm, and she really starts pushing against me, her tempo quickens, and he breathing comes heavier, her moans and cries of joy increase. Her vagina is pulsating and pulling me deeper. The muscle control she has down there! I don’t know if she realizes what she’s doing, but it’s nothing like I’ve felt with any of my other lovers. Soon we’re both sharing in the joys of release, it feels like my orgasm lasts forever! 

We lay there together in the afterglow of our love making. Slowly caressing one another, she looks up at me lovingly. 

“You are so wonderful.” She reaches up and we kiss. 

There’s a sound of car doors outside, and I think I hear her mother talking to her dad. 

“I think your parents are home.” I say softly. 

“Hmm. Perfect timing.” She purrs. “I got what I came for.” She smiles mischievously. 

“More than once.” I tease her, I lost count of how many times she got off.

“You.” She taps my nose playfully. 

“I guess I should let you go.” I start getting off of her.

“Do you have to?” Leilani pouts.

“You know you can’t stay the night…” I say, reminding her of her parents’ orders.

She lets go a deep breath and looks at me sadly. “I know. I just wish I didn’t have to leave.” 

We share one last kiss as I get off of her, her fingers dig into my shoulders and she whimpers as I pull out of her. We hold hands before I finish getting off the bed, looking for where my underwear went. 

We gather our clothes and get dressed talking about school and what projects we’re still working on.   
As we step out of the house, I can see her mother standing there, with her hands on her hips. We share one last kiss before she runs off home. I lean against the pillar of my balcony, and watch her go, I smile and wave to her mom before turning around and heading into the house. _The things that girl does to me!_

I sit down at my computer to check messages. I see that Mitchel has already touched up the photos from soccer. Outside of the group photos, there are shots of us playing, a picture of the half-time show that Tina and I did, and a shot of my shaking hands with Sam from the opposing team. He’s a really good photographer, it’s a shame he’s graduating this year.

I put the pictures on my cloud account and share the directory with my group, my friends, my brother, and my mom. 

It doesn’t take long before I start getting replies. 

-= I’m printing a few of these and adding them to the framed photo you sent me my love. =- is Dee’s response. 

-= You look so happy, who’s the new girl? =- Jane asks commenting the picture of Tina and I. _How did she know?_

To add to that, Tina’s reply comes next with her saying that she loves this picture of us and wants to frame it.

-= Amazing pictures of my amazing sister, you make us all proud. =- My brother replies.

-= Much to your father’s chagrin, I’m sharing these pictures and your school photos with all of the family. I did see a twinkle of pride in his eyes when I told him you were the team captain. There is some hope for him to come around yet. =- My mom replies. A tear of happiness rolls down my cheek when I read her message. 

I guess that is one way to announce to the rest of my family about my transition. I send my mother a link to my HiddenRose social media page that some of my cousins already know. Outside of my artwork, there are pictures and comments on my transition. Scenes & group photos from Britechester and Willow Creek are also in there. My soccer photos show my school name, so pictures of where I live now aren’t going to be any more incriminating. I’m taking a risk at my father knowing where I live. My brother is still my legal guardian till I turn 18 this winter. This is a test to see just how accepting my father’s starting to become - that is if he bothers to look at my page at all. I add the soccer picture album to my social media page as well - seeing as everyone loves the photos so much. 

As a last thing, I upload the monkey bar sketch I’ve managed to finish to my art gallery and sign off. I look at the other sketches in my book. My fingers roam over the drawing of Monique, it’s almost finished, but it breaks my heart to think of what I should do with it next. I promised my art teacher she could see it, Monique was to get the original, but I doubt she’ll want it now. It does remind me that I need to start doing sketches of the rest of my friends. Maybe I’ll start with Leilani or Cassandra…. 

I lay in bed as the ideas for posing, lighting and theme I want to paint drift through my mind. I happily fall asleep with their bodies floating through my thoughts.


	11. Thursday's Honesty

I wake up to a song about this being the Time of My Life, and I lay in bed and listen to the song before turning off the clock radio. I smile as I stretch in the bed. Yes, yesterday definitely was the time of my life, and today we get to game with our friends, then I get to cheer Trent on as he plays against Twinbrooks.

I get up and do my morning calisthenics, making sure to do an extra stretch after everything that I did yesterday. I grab a quick breakfast and hop on my bike to work. 

I greet Lisa with a hug after I cross the street and meet her at the door. 

Beth soon joins us and gives me a smile. 

“What?” I ask her as turns her back to open the door for us. 

“Someone got lucky last night.” She says opening the door for us. And Lisa giggles. 

“And how do you know that?” I say putting my hands on my hips. I really wonder how she always seems to know… 

Beth reaches out to me, and pulls the collar of my work shirt open. “You’re girlfriend always leaves you a love bite here when you’ve slept together. It’s become your neighbour’s trademark.” She says teasingly. 

“That explains why there’s a hint of lilac on her.” Lisa smiles and gives me a playful nudge.

“Leilani’s perfume.” I say with a blush. “Guess I should have showered this morning.”

We walk in and Beth turns on the lights. “Still doesn’t hide the love bite.” She teases as I finish doing up the buttons of my blouse. 

It’s sunny this morning, and people seem to be coming out of the woodwork as it suddenly gets busy today. Lisa and I are hard pressed to keep up with the traffic, that Beth comes out and helps us with keeping things going smoothly. 

I’m grateful when Liberty comes in to relieve me and say goodbye to my friends as I go in the back office and gather my things. 

“What does Leilani think about your move?” Beth asks me as I put my stuff in my bag and grab my bike helmet. 

“She’s not happy with it, but at least we still get our mornings to school together.” I say with a half smile. 

“Yes, Dave sent me a message last night that you won’t be going to the manor after work, that you’ll still walk with your girlfriends in the morning.” Beth replies taking a sip of coffee.

“You’re calling Cassandra my girlfriend already as well?” I say, putting a hand on my hip. 

“Well, she is, isn’t she?” Beth inquires taking another sip of her coffee.

“We only made it official yesterday.” I say with a blush. 

“The way you two have been fawning over each other, I’d say it’s about time that you two are dating. To be honest I think you’ve always been more than just best friends.” Beth says in a motherly tone. 

“You know, I ‘can’ have non-romantic relationships with other girls.” I say in an annoyed tone. 

“Right. Just like that picture of you and your co-captain of the soccer team, how long will be be till you two are a couple?” Beth says with a knowing smile. 

“Jane noticed that too, how do you two pick up on that so quickly?!” I say in surprise. 

“Rose, when someone falls for you, they have this certain look in their eyes. This loving tenderness that is more than just friends.” Beth replies. 

“I guess I just have this effect on people.” I reply blushing. 

Beth grins at me. “I remember, when you moved here, you thought you’d never make a friend, and that you didn’t think a relationship was going to happen.” 

“I still don’t get how people find me so irresistible.” I reply, my blush getting redder. 

Beth puts down her coffee, walks to me and gives me a hug. She holds me by my shoulders. “Rose, you are a caring and loving girl who wears her heart on her sleeve. I don’t know who you were before your transition, but since you bloomed into womanhood you just exude this allure that draws people to you.” I look up at her and look down thoughtfully. “Look, I know you’re brother is annoyed that you date more than one person. Take my word: Don’t fight it, enjoy the love you receive, for it mirrors the love you give.”

I give her a smile. “Thanks.” 

Beth gives me another hug. “Now go get home and wake up your girlfriend. I think she’ll enjoy you coming into her arms every morning.. Even on nights you don’t sleep together.”

“Okay.” I give her an even wider smile and head out. 

I wave to a few patrons as I leave, I notice a few of them talking as I go by, probably wondering where Monique is… I get a pang of hurt as I suddenly miss my girlfriend. I know she was pushy and jealous, but I do still love her - despite everything. I unlock my bike and head home. 

I get home, take a quick shower, and set aside next weeks clothing that I want to wear to school. This gives me one less thing I need to worry about in packing to go the Winslow Manor. It’s too much to fit into my gym bag, so I use one of my suitcases instead. 

I’m still an hour early for school as I head next door, suitcase in hand. I knock on the door and walk in saying a good morning. 

“Rose!” I look at the stairs, Leilani isn’t fully down the steps yet and launches herself at me from the 3rd step.   
I drop my suitcase and catch my girlfriend, and she giggles as I do a half spin to account for her momentum. She then gives me a long loving kiss and we stand there by the entrance and embrace one another. Her mother clearing her throat breaks us from our growing excitement. 

Leilani breaks her kiss, looks over at her mother and blushes. “Sorry mama, when Rose wasn’t here to wake me, I was worried she wouldn’t be over this morning.”

“Hmm hmmm.” Her mother says with a knowing smile. “And that fresh hickey on the right of her neck had nothing to do with what you were up to last night before we got home from shopping?”

Leilani blushes again. It’s so cute seeing it on her dark skin. I giggle. “Busted. Beth found it this morning as well, apparently you do this all the time.” I wink at my girlfriend and she hides her face into my shoulder.

I hold her tight to me and her arms slide around my waist. She lets out a deep sigh, happy to be in my arms. 

“I’m sorry I wasn’t here earlier darlin’, but I wanted to get my clothes for next week sorted so that I don’t forget.”

“That explains the suitcase.” Her mother says with a smile. “Though I do notice you’re still wearing your soccer hoodie this morning.”

“Trent’s team is playing against Twinbrooks after school. We have a mutual agreement to support one another.”

“Oh really? come tell me about it over breakfast.” Her mother says, leading us into the kitchen. 

I move my suitcase to a spot out of the way beside the foot of the stairs, then Leilani and I follow her into the kitchen arms around each other. This morning’s meal is eggs and bacon with some toast. Leilani looks as her mother gives me twice her normal portion and shakes her head.

“What?” I say in mock surprise as I start digging into breakfast.

“I’ll never get over how much you can eat.” Leilani says with a smile as she starts on her breakfast. 

“Considering Rose never stops, I’m getting used to her appetite.” Her mother says, with a smile, as she brings hers and her husband’s plates to the table. 

“It kept me out of the house before my transition.” I say with a solemn face. “I did everything I could to stay away from my parents’ house when my father was home.”

Her mother reaches out and puts a comforting hand on mine. “Oh, sweet pea, I’m so sorry.”

“Nothing I did was good enough for him, I was always expected to be just like my brother, and he would yell at me and punish me when I wasn’t.” I say with a sad face, a tear welling up in my eye. “He’ll never accept that I’m actually a girl.” I say with a sniffle. 

“Honey there are people that love you now, you never have to go back to that life again.” Her mother says reassuringly. 

I let go of her hand, pick up my napkin, dab at the tears and blow my nose. I give her a weak smile. “I know. And thank you, it just still hurts sometimes.” 

It takes me a few moments to compose myself. I take a deep shaky breath. “Beth’s family have already accepted me as their daughter, even though she’s not yet married to my brother.” The smile widens as I calm down. “I’ve never felt like I belonged anywhere till I moved here to Willow Creek.” I dab at the tears in the corner of my eye. “This is my home now.” 

I reach out to Leilani and she holds my hand lovingly. “Everyone has treated me like family the moment I moved here. It’s what finally helped me open up and be myself.” I take a moment to compose myself more, and look at her lovingly. “It all started with you my love. You will always be special to me.” 

Leilani’s smiles back and she would give me a hug if I weren’t on the other side of the table. 

Her mother notices I’m still fairly emotional and changes the topic. “So what are you all up to today?”

I blink and take another deep breath. “Well, if all goes as planned, we have another lunch hour gaming session of the Refuge Online with our friends and guild-mates.” Leilani gives a giddy grin, she’s really looking forward to it. “There’s gym this afternoon, coach has started us on basketball.

“Rose is a natural mom, she said she’s never played it but can almost dunk a basket blindfolded!”

I smile at her comment. “Then, after school, Travis and I are going to Twinbooks to watch the boys play soccer. My classmate Trent and I support one another in our games.”

“You’re not joining them Leilani?” her mother asks in surprise.

“While it would be nice to snuggle up with Rose on the stands, I have school work to do, and it’s not as fun when she’s not out on the field.” Leilani says going back to eating. 

“I see.” Her mom says with a smile. “What about this Trent boy you keep speaking of?”

“Trent is in all my grade 10 classes, so we’ve grown pretty close. I’ve been tutoring him so that he can stay on the soccer team. He’s currently dating Zoe, they make such an adorable couple.” I smile as I start eating again myself. 

Her mother leans on her palms and gives me a knowing smile. “Why do I have a feeling you set those two up.” 

“With both of them occasionally flirting with me, I had to do give them someone else to focus their attentions on.” I say defensively. “While Trent is cute and quite the catch, I don’t really think I’m really his type, so I introduced him to someone who was.” I say with a grin. 

Her mother chuckles and shakes her head. 

“Well, I can’t date all the guys in school…” I continue making her laugh more. 

“Not when Travis was the one that caught your eye…” Leilani teases me and I blush. 

“Travis is so adorably romantic, how could I ignore the fact that he had a huge crush on me?”

“I think that crush was mutual.” Her mother adds causing me to blush more. 

I change topics away from my romantic interests to sports. We spend the rest of breakfast talking about my soccer game with Newcrest and the fun we had at the restaurant. Of course, Leilani would talk about my hand-stand stunt to get out of the booth.

“Leilani quite exaggerating she says in a scolding tone.

I cut Leilani’s rebuttal. “Actually she’s not this time.” Instead of asking half the row to let me out, I did a handstand and walked on my hands along the back of the bench to get out of the booth. My online friend Veronica and her family were there, and this was the first time I got to meet them all in person.” 

“You couldn’t just ask the people to get out for you?” her mother quirks an eyebrow. 

“What and inconvenience everyone?” I say defensively causing her mother to laugh. 

“You always have to do things your way, don’t you?” she shakes her head and smiles. 

“It got people to laugh…” I add to my defense. 

“Yes, you are good at that aren’t you? Like that half-time show you mentioned during your soccer game. How’d you get back to your seat? You didn’t do something else foolish did you?”

“I just shimmied under the table so that I didn’t have to make people move.” I say calmly.

“And tickled and teased everyone along the way.” Leilani teases me, causing me to blush.   
Her mother just sits there and shakes her head. “Do you do stunts like that all the time?”

My girlfriend cuts in again teasingly.“Often enough to get noticed. Outside of being the team captain, the strongest girl in school, her stunts on the field, in gym, and her public displays of affection.. I don’t think there’s anyone in school that hasn’t heard about Rose.”

“Not after Monique and I broke up, that’s for sure.” I say with a grim smile. 

“You miss her don’t you?” her mom asks me. 

“Does it show that much?” I ask her and she nods. “Monique was my first relationship..”

“Your first love is hard to forget.” Her mother councils me. 

“Well, if you want to look at it that way.” I look over at my girlfriend. “Your daughter is my first love. Monique was my first girlfriend, but Leilani was the first crush I ever recall having for anyone.” I look at her mom. “It’s why she’s so special to me. I think I’ll eventually get over Monique as she was my first kiss and my first lover, but I will never forget everything my lovely girlfriend here as done for me.” 

“I love you too.” Leilani says sweetly.

“Well, I think that goes for the both of you. I’ve never seen my daughter so fixated on one relationship till you moved next door.” 

Leilani looks down bashfully. “There was just something about Rose and her brother that drew me to them. And then Rose started flirting with me, and she was just so irresistible, what else was could I do but follow my heart.” 

“I have a feeling it wasn’t just your heart you were following.” Her mother says matter of fact. 

Leilani gives this look like a little kid caught with their hand in the cookie jar. “Was it that obvious that she turns me on?” 

“I could smell your excitement.” I tease her and she hides her face in her hands in embarrassment. “Leilani, there’s a reason I can’t wear pants when you’re around, you do the same for me.” I say reassuringly. 

“You two are quite the couple.” Her mother says shaking her head. She looks up at the clock. “Now you two should get going before you’re late for class.”

“Yes mama” Leilani and I say together and get up from the table. I suddenly realize what I just said and blush. 

Her mom gets up and gives me a hug. “I’m glad that you are that comfortable enough to see me as family hun.” I give her a squeeze. “Now off you go you two.” She says as she lets me go. 

“Thanks I say.” Still blushing. 

Leilani and I gather our things and head off, holding hands. Leilani spends most of the walk to Cassandra’s place teasing me about calling her mom ‘Mama’, like she does. That, when my other girlfriend joins us, she asks what I’m so flustered about. 

Leilani, being the girl she is comes out and says it first. “Rose called my mother ‘mama’ today, it was so cute!” She finishes off with a higher pitch, teasing my dimples as I blush. 

Cassandra leans against me. “So how long will it take before you start calling my mother Mama Goth like Travis does?” she says teasingly. 

“I give it till Winterfest.” Leilani says confidently. 

“You know, she’s probably right.” I say in agreement, and we all laugh lightly about it.

After we’re done laughing Cassandra decides to one up the conversation. “I don’t know, I don’t believe Travis thinks my mom’s hot, it might take her longer than that.” 

Leilani playfully smacks my arm. “Bad Rose, she’s almost twice our age!”

“What?! I can’t help it!” I say trying to defend why I find Cass’ mom attractive. Before they could tease me more about it I lean into Cassandra. “Does make you feel any better that you’re the one I fell in love with and that’s why I’m dating you?” 

“Really?” she gives me a skeptical side glance. 

“Cass It was really hard resisting you and just calling you my best friend. I thought I could just keep it platonic and admire you from a distance, but when you admitted that you felt the same for me… well, that just broke down all my resistance to what I really felt for you.” She raises an eyebrow. “Come on, I’ve been flirting with you since the day we met, you must have seen where that was going. Your mother did.” 

“Rose, you flirt with everyone.” Leilani says in a teasing tone, poking my ribs and nearly hitting my tickle spot.

“I…” I put my hands in my face. “There really is no hope for me is there?” 

Leilani and Cass both put their arms around me. “It’s what makes you so adorable my love.” Cassandra says. I smile and put my arms around their shoulders and we walk to school arms around each other. Their height difference making it so that they naturally hold my waist one above the other. 

I probably shouldn’t feel so proud parading around with two girlfriends. I mean, I’ve seen guys do it back in the city, but for a girl.. Well, they have much more ‘colourful’ comments rather than ‘stud’, ‘player’ or ‘ladies man’ for when girls flaunt more than one relationship in public. And I heard a few of those words on the way to school this morning. Oddly enough, instead of being embarrassed, my girlfriends wouldn’t let me go, they would give the person a dirty look and kept on walking. With Monique out of the way, there was no way my girlfriends were going to stop showing their affections for me in public. Cassandra above all surprises me the most. She’s normally so shy in school, but since we announced at the table last night that we’re officially a couple, she’s bold, confident and a bit mouthy. I recall her warning me about it. She wasn’t going to hold back her love for me once we’re dating. She never ceases to amaze me.


	12. Thursday is for Gaming

Once we part ways with Leilani, Cassandra and I are chatting excitably about today’s online game while lightly flirting with each other. Travis finally joins us at our lockers, caressing my backside as he goes by. There’s nothing crude about the way he does it. He’s soft and gentle, and gives a little squeeze before he lets go. The motion is leaving me excited. My girlfriend looks over noting the shift in my mood.

“Travis, don’t get her started in school, she’ll be an insufferable tease to everyone now.” Cassandra says in an annoyed tone. Since I came out to her, my girlfriend knows me better than most. 

“What did I do?” Travis says in mock shock, trying to hide the smile on his face.

I get a coy smile on my face. “Rose…” Cassandra starts to say, but it’s too late. 

I walk up to Travis, pinning him against his locker and cupping his crotch. In a sultry tone I whisper in his ear.

“We find a quiet place Tiger, and we can both take care of our frustrations.” I can feel Travis melt into me. 

“You started it.” Cassandra warns him with a grin. “Rose let the poor boy go before he suffers a hard-on all morning.” _Yep, really bold now_. 

“Fine.” I say half annoyed. “Offers still open handsome.” I say teasingly giving his crotch a squeeze before letting him go.

Travis is beet red when I walk back to my locker to get my books. Cassandra hooks my arm and drags me off to home room before I can tease my boyfriend any further. She can be no fun. 

“You are insufferable sometimes, you know that?” she says in a scolding tone.

“I only gave him what he gave me, I figure that’s fair game.” I say defensively.

Cass looks down at my skirt realizing what I’m talking about. “Oh.” She says and blushes. At least I can still catch her off-guard from time to time. 

We’re talking quietly between us as Travis joins us, his face still flushed. Some classmates look at him, then immediately look at me and I can’t stop but giggle. Cassandra merely shakes her head in a half smile. Guess most of our class know that Travis is my boyfriend by now.

Thursdays are labs for Chemistry and Physics, my girlfriends keep Travis and I separated from teasing each other further this morning, taking away all my fun. Well, most of the fun, it just meant we teased them instead of each other. I think Cassandra was glad come 3rd period and I went off to grade 10 math. She warns me not to tease Trent this morning. 

“Not my puppy, he’s Zoe’s boyfriend.” I reassure her as I give her a toe curling kiss, then give her butt a squeeze before parting ways. It takes her a moment to compose herself before heading off to next class. 

Trent notices my mood this morning and asks me what’s up, I merely giggle and tell him it’s best he doesn’t know. He merely shakes his head and sighs. “Girls.” We get down to focusing on our classwork as the bell rings. I warn Trent that today’s computer club, and I’m not going to be hanging around at lunch. He looks disappointed till I ask him to say 'Hi' to Zoe for us, as Leilani’s joining us for lunch as well. Realizing he’s going to have his girlfriend’s full attention for lunch lifts his spirits. 

“See you in Twinbrooks.” I say as we part ways. 

“Looking forward to seeing you there.” He grins and gives me a quick hug. 

I quickly head over to the computer lab, Tim says that he was planing to bring another lunch platter - as it worked so well last time. I notice that Travis wasn’t with them yet, and step back a bit. I look behind me, and sure enough, Travis is rushing down the hall, and on his own. 

“Sorry I’m a bit late, my locker was being problematic.” He says as he approaches. 

I walk forward to the music room, noting it was empty, and give him a kiss as he comes close. As I have him distracted, I push us both into the music room. 

“Rose? What are you doing?” he asks suddenly confused as I close the door behind us and lock it. 

“Taking care of what you started this morning” I say in a sultry tone, pushing him towards the first double desk. 

I start kissing him passionately, and whatever hesitation he had melts as he returns the embrace. He offers no resistance when I reach between us and start unbuttoning his pants.

I pull his pants down as I kneel and start sucking him off. It’s not long till he’s fully hard, but he pushes me away. “If you want to satisfy us both, you’ll need more than giving me a blow job.” He says breathing hard. 

“Hmm. You are a naughty boy.” I tease him. I step away as we trade places, I reach down into my backpack side pocket and pull out the lube.

“You carry that with you now?” Travis says almost disbelievingly. 

“A Llama scout is always prepared.” I say teasingly and hand him the tube as I lean over the desk. 

“Yes they are.” He says as he lifts my skirt over my back. 

I feel my panties being pulled down. I gasp in surprise as the cold gel touches my hole, and sigh as I feel his knob push at my entrance. Travis is slow at first, letting the gel lubricate my opening, and then he starts going faster as he penetrates me deeper. I have one hand holding on the desk, and the other over my mouth as Travis makes love to me in the music room. He holds on to my hips and tries best to be quiet himself. We’re both so turned on that he quickly brings us both to sexual release. 

We lay there for a moment on the table, catching our breath. “I needed that.” I say with a satisfying deep breath. 

“I’m glad to be of service.” He says teasingly.

“Well, did that help?” I tease back. 

“Definitely.” He sighs and kisses the back of my neck. “But the others are going to wonder where we are.” 

“Hmm… yes, lets quickly clean up.” Travis gets off of me and I reach down into my pack for some travel napkins and hand him one as I start cleaning myself off. 

“I’ll never get how you can carry almost everything in that bag.” He says with a smile, shaking his head, then tossing the travel napkin in the trash, before pulling his pants back up.

I just merely grin and toss my soiled napkin in the trash, I put my panties back on, and take his hand. We quickly hop out of the music room and go next door. 

“What kept you two?” Cassandra asks as we quickly grab a couple of sandwiches and sit down on each side of her. 

“We just needed to finish what Travis started this morning.” I say calmly between bites as I launch the game. 

“I…” she starts and then blushes. “No I don’t want to know.” 

Leilani giggles as she catches on. “Next time let me join you two, it’ll be more fun.” She teases. 

“I’ll keep that in mind.” I say with a wide smile. Tim turns around as he gets what we’re talking about and gives me a deadpan look. I give him a wink. He turns around blushing and Trent laughs while patting him on the shoulder. 

“I think you broke him.” He turns to me chuckling.

I’m about to give a cocky answer when Cassandra cuts in. “Rose, quit teasing the poor boy.” 

“Fine.” I say in a mock pout. “Take my fun away.” 

“Hey, that’s my line!” Leilani says insulted and we all start to laugh. 

Chris turns to us. “I love having Rose around, it’s never dull with her here.” And we laugh again as we get into character. 

“Sounds like you are all having fun there.” Crystal’s voice comes on the line as we connect to guild chat. 

“With Caninna in the party, it’s always a good time.” Brent says as Tarvel in game.

“Oui, ma petite nièce est ben capable ça semble.” she says in my mother’s tongue. It’s at that point that I suddenly recognize her voice. 

“Ma tante Céline?” I suddenly say without thinking.

Crystal’s character smiles, comes up to me and gives me a hug. “I knew something like that would trigger your memory.” She says teasingly. “When I saw your screenshots on social media, I was so excited, I had to tell ton oncle Carlo right away.” She’s not hiding her accent anymore. 

“You’re not the shy little nerd we left in San Myshuno 4 years ago.” Says Finian’s voice. “Your mother shared your school photos, soccer pictures and your social media link with everyone in the family.” His character smiles. “You have grown to be a beautiful girl, your aunt and I are very proud of you and so glad you finally found happiness. I don’t remember you ever smiling so much in the past.” 

The rest of the guild is quiet and watching the interaction. “Guys this is so exciting! Our guildmates are my uncle and aunt over in Windenburg!” I say all giddy and happy. My character in game is doing a spinning dance happily. 

“She’s even more affectionate in person.” Cassandra says with a smile to my reaction, noting that people are still quiet. It doesn’t take long for the rest of our friends to agree to her comment.

“There’s a new raid that opened up this week, shall we give it a shot?” Finian says. 

“I’m game.” Thornton says putting his arm affectionately around my character.

“Where my girlfriend goes, I go!” Our lovely healer says leaning against me affectionately. 

Finian looks at us and shakes his head. “It’s going to take some time to get used to get used to my shy little niece having a boyfriend and two girlfriends.” 

“Considering she never gave boys a second glance before she became a girl.” My aunt adds in. 

“Considering boys were pretty gross before I became a girl..” I add. Travis gives me a side long glance in person. “Well they were!” I say defensively. 

“Boy cooties.” Crystal giggles and she has the rest of the girls giggle at her comment. “Yes, before puberty, boys are yuck, you just blossomed late.” She says with a smile. 

“Hmm.. Did she ever blossom!” Sylvianna purrs snuggling into me more. 

“Down girl.” Varielle says beside her.” 

“What, I missed out on their lunch fun, I’m allowed to tease.” She pouts. 

Finian raises and eyebrow and Thornton is blushing. 

“No, you don’t want to know what they were up to before joining us in game.” Tarvel chuckles. “Let’s just say that going through puberty two fold does affect one’s libido.” 

I poke him in the ribs and he chuckles. 

“The amount of love bites I’ve seen on Thornton while we change during gym class… one doesn’t have to wonder what those two get up to.” Chris teases us. 

“Hey!” Thornton says trying to hide blushing in real life. 

“Yeah, I’m nowhere near as bad as he is at leaving those.” I add, leaving the guild laughing, and my boyfriend blushing more. My character leans down and gives his a loving kiss. “We’re just teasing you my love.” My character caresses Thornton’s cheek and he melts against me. 

“You two are so cute together, I can’t wait till spring!” Crystal says softly. “You are coming to GeekCon during spring break, please tell me you are.” 

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Varielle gives a huge grin. “Between our two families, and Cannina’s artistic talents, we should be able to make amazing costumes!”

“Two families?” Crystal says confused, “Cannina your parents…” 

“Won’t be involved in purchasing anything. My brother’s in-laws have adopted as if I was their own daughter, and they are very well off.” I cut in. 

“Oh…” she says thoughtfully. “You don’t intend to go back home do you?” she says curiously. 

“Willow Creek is my home now, there’s nothing left for me in the city.” I say in a cold tone. “Though I do miss maman.” 

“Say, I’ve queued us for the raid.” Tarvel says changing the conversation.

“Right.” Crystal says. “Can we talk about this later Caninna?” She asks me. 

“Sure.” I say softening my tone. 

Nemarcus opens a portal for us, and we step through to the raid entrance. We wait for everyone to be assembled before stepping through the gateway as a group. 

Being a new raid we almost wipe as an entire group. We hang back before entering the next stage and take the time to eat and rest while the casters regain their mana. Chris is looking online for a guide to give us tips and has a good walkthrough for us to follow. He streams the video and we sit there and watch it before heading on again. Now that we know the attack rotation of the major monsters, the rest of the raid goes smoothly with only needing to stop once for our healers to regenerate their mana. Chris doesn’t need half of the healing as he did last game, now that he’s in his shadow spec. His character blinks in and out of the combat, attacking foes from behind, only to blink out of sight again when they turn to attack him. 

“Wow! What’s the crit on those blades?” Byron asks him as we run down the corridor with him sneaking along. 

“Ten times my lethal damage multiplier with Sneak Attack.” Chris responds. 

“Damn, I need to roll up a rogue alt!” Byron says with a whistle.

“After watching Crystal and Finian, I’ve been debating rolling up a druid Byron. I have a bit more free time than Cannina does, maybe we can try that tonight while she’s up in Twinbrooks.” Varielle comments. 

“Why she going to Twinbrooks?” Chris says, now curious. “I thought she already had her soccer game last night?”

“We’re going out to cheer the boy’s team on.” Thornton answers before I can. “I won’t be in game tonight, I’m driving.” 

“What about you Sylvianna?” Byron asks. 

“Can’t, I have an Economics assignment due tomorrow.” She says sadly.

“More fighting, less talking!” Nemarcus says in a panic, blinking past us. We turn around and see a large ambush party after him.

“If you weren’t so slow, they wouldn’t have caught up to us!” Thornton grumbles as she charges headlong into the ambushers. 

“Stay closer to me so you can gain a boost from my aspect of the cheetah.” I school him as I send my wolf in along with my boyfriend and take aim with a hail of arrows. 

“So that’s why your girlfriends stay so close to you.” Nemarcus says tossing magic missiles into the fray. 

“I’m not just a pretty face.” My girlfriend says with a giggle as she heals our boyfriend.

“Never under-estimate the sexy nymph.” Varielle says with a grin, tossing curses and dark magic into the group. “In the years we’ve been friends, she’ll surprise you with how much she actually knows.” 

“Noted.” Nemarcus says as the last of the monsters turn to blocks of ice from Byron’s spells and Thornton bashes them to pieces.

Finian meditates for a moment as he spreads a group heal among us. 

“I think I really like how we work together as a group.” Tarvel says his songs giving us a boost to our next combat. “I’d like to try a paladin myself, watching Thornton in combat is amazing! I thought warriors were tough!” 

“Well, my boyfriend is amazing.” I say as he joins the group and I give him a hug. He blushes, returning the affection.

“I’ll say he is.” Sylvianna says in a seductive tone making him blush even more.

Finian looks between the three of us, and looks like he’s about to comment and his shoulders slump. “I… never mind, I don’t want to know.” 

My sexy girlfriend has to one-up the conversation. “Cannina’s not the only one who knows how to keep more than one girl happy.” And pinches Thornton’s backside. 

“You three are too much, I sometimes wonder how I got involved in all this.” Varielle says shaking her head. 

“Cannina’s irresistible.” Sylvianna answers. “You fell in love with her like the rest of us have, and once you’ve fallen for her there is no going back.” 

Varielle turns to me, in real life she gives me this loving look and smiles. “Once you’ve shared your heart with her, no, there is no going back.” She says fondly. I blow her a kiss in real life and in game, and she blushes in both. 

“Definitely not the shy little bookworm we used to know.” Crystal says with a smile. 

“Little bookworm?” Byron says in surprise. “She’s the same tall athletic, muscular amazon in real life as she is in game!” 

Nemarcus smiles. “Well, if you’ve seen her code, she’s as smart as she every was.” 

“I’d say someone’s been hiding a crush.” Varielle teases Byron and he blushes. 

Byron then puts his hands up in surrender. “Thornton’s been working out with his girlfriend, it’s not going to be long where he’s just as buff in real life as his paladin is in game. No way am I getting in between him and Cannina!”

“Awe, come now, Thornton isn’t the jealous type now are you?” Crystal says sweetly. 

“As long as no one hits on my girlfriends, I have no problem.” He says with a cheeky smile. I smile as I notice that he now sees Leilani as his girlfriend, it’s not just an act anymore.

“Sorry Byron, you’ll have to find a girl outside of the computer club to ask to be your Harvest Dance date.” Tarvel teases him. “The way Varielle looks at our hunter, there’s no way you’ll be able to woe her away from her girlfriend.” 

“Come on, that’s not fair, all the girls we sit with at lunch are taken.” 

“Yeah, Chloe’s been sitting with her boyfriend ever since they started dating.” Sylvianna comments. 

“There’s always Summer, I think she’s still single.” Though you better ask her soon, she’s bound to have a date before next weekend.” Varielle comments. 

“We can debate dates for next weekend’s dance later everyone, I rather kill the last boss before the lunch bell rings.” Chris says mildly annoyed at us just standing around.

“Right.” My friends and I say in unison, and we run down the remainder of the hall into the final room.   
We do manage to down the last boss before the bell rings.. Barely. We’re gathering in our guild hall, putting up the next trophy while cleaning up and restocking when we hear it. 

“Well, time to go, we’ll reach out next we can get together.” Tarvel says before signing off. 

“Finian works this weekend on a new project, it’ll have to be next week.” Crystal says and we all nod as one by one we log out. 

“That was fun!” Tim says as we leave the computer lab. “Though less chatter next game, kay?” 

“I like Crystal and Finian.” Cassandra says, taking my hand, “they’re nice.”

“Ma tante Céline and mon oncle Carlo have always been kind to me. It’s comforting to see they’ve accepted my transition without any objections.” I reply with a smile. 

“You’re bilingual.” Leilanie suddenly says in surprise. 

“Trilingual actually.” I say blushing. “I know Cass’s family’s native tongue as well.” I turn to her. “Tu sei il mio bel fiore.” Cassandra blushes. “Though I’m a little rusty, as I only took two years of it before leaving the city.” 

“I’d say that you pronounced that quite well.” Cass says bashfully. “Ti amo Rose.” 

“Ti amo anche mia cara.” I say lovingly and she gives and a loving kiss. 

“No romantic mooching in other languages, that’s not fair!” Leilani pouts.

“What? You don’t want me to say things to you like: Tu es si belle mon amour?” I say to her softly. 

“The way you roll the ‘r’ at the end, that’s so amazing!” she smiles. What did you say!?” she says excitedly. 

“You are so beautiful my love.” I translate for her. She lets go of Travis grabs my head with both hands and gives me a deep kiss. We stop for a moment as we share a loving embrace.

“Okay, quit kissing you two, or we’ll be late for class.” Cassandra says in a stern voice. 

Leilani lets go of me and we both giggle. We walk hand in hand to grammar class.


	13. Thursday afternoon

Gym class rolls around and Tina is giving me a run for my money as we’re doing a one-on-one challenge. The coach has 3 nets down, so he’s given us one for our game. The girls watch us between activities. In the end Tina and I give up, as we keep ending up tied. We’re sitting on the benches drenched in sweat and toweling our faces as we take a break. 

“Not often that I’ve met my match in basketball.” Tina says leaning against me. 

“Where did you learn to play?” I ask her taking off my glasses to towel my dripping forehead.

“I used to live in the city’s north end before moving here just before high school.” Tina answers me. “You?” 

“East end suburbs in the foothills.” I answer her. “My parents got a good deal on the house, but my mom has to work part-time to keep up with the bills. I never got along with the preppy upper-income kids of my neighbourhood - with both of my parents being blue-collar workers and all.”

“So that’s why you said you never had any friends growing up.” Tina says with a sadness. “Everyone looked down on you as their lesser.” 

“I got teased and bullied for not wearing name-brand clothing, or for having hand-me-downs or 2nd-hand items that didn’t fit my skinny frame. When they figured out I was a soft-hearted romantic, I got bullied even more.” I say with a sigh. Oddly enough, I’m able to tell her this without getting upset like I usually do. On the contrary I’m annoyed. 

“Even when I started building muscle, and started playing competitively, I was always looked down on - as if I was being some kind of poser or I was trying too hard to prove myself.”

“Meanwhile it was your father that was pushing you.” Tina says softly holding my arm. 

“Exactly.” I say a little too loud drawing attention to ourselves. 

Cassandra comes over to us, her forehead is all sweaty, I hand her the dry end of my towel and she takes off her glasses to wipe her face. “What are you two on about?” She asks calmly. 

“Rose was telling me a bit more of her past.” Tina says calmly, letting go of my arm. “We both grew up in the city before moving here.”

Cassandra watches her movements. “I’m not going to be jealous of you wanting some of Rose’s affection.” She says softly with a smile. “My girlfriend has shown me more than once that she has enough energy for another love interest.” 

Tina blushes and looks down. “Busted.” I give her a nudge and she smiles timidly as she looks at me. “Something in our soccer photo has Beth and Jane wondering when we’ll start dating. Cassandra’s reacting to what you said on the trip home.” I say quietly. 

Tina’s eyes grow wide. “Is my crush for you that obvious?” 

“Beth says that, when someone falls for me, there is a certain tenderness and love in their eyes when they look at me.” I turn to Cassandra. “Which is how she knew we’d end up dating sooner than later.” 

I have my girlfriend blushing now as she hands me back the towel. “Like how mama saw it as well.” 

“You are such a horrible influence…” Tina teases me and we giggle. 

Cass steps forward, placing a finger under my chin. I look up at her, and she leans down for a kiss, for which I happily oblige. “Thank you.” She says happily and goes back to playing with the others.

Tina watches Cassandra for a moment. “She was such a shy and quiet girl before she met you.” She looks at me. “Since then she’s become more outgoing and confident. You’ve brought out the best in her.” 

“Not to mention the weekly workout’s giving her one hell of a beautiful body.” I say with a smile watching my girlfriend’s butt as it bounces with her shots.” I look over at Leilani and she blows me a kiss. I return it and she happily goes back to her game. 

“Just like Travis, you going to work on my body if we start dating?” Tina teases me. 

“You’ve already got a beautiful muscular body.” I tease her back and she blushes. “I just didn’t want to say anything when Monique and I were still dating.” 

Tina leans her head on my shoulder and sighs. “Yeah, she was one freaky possessive chick, I’m glad you’re no longer with her.”

“Come on, lets back back to the others before coach berates us for slacking in gym class.” Tina looks sad that I want to break away from our time together, but nods in agreement with my comment. 

We put our towels aside and join the others as they practice free throws. 

After gym, I switch into my soccer sweats. The weather forecast said it’s cooler in Twinbrooks than it is here, and I don’t want my bare legs to get cold sitting in the stands. Travis catches up to me as I come out of the coaches office, and takes my hand as we join the girls on our way to Social Studies. Tina, Zoe and Amber join our group as we all go into class together. Outside of my grade 10 classes where I have only Tim and Trent, my friends and I travel as a small cluster to every other class. There are nine of us as we usually catch up with Chloe and her boyfriend Chuck as we pass the locker area. 

“Rose, Chuck heard from Trent that you’re heading out to Twinbrooks to watch the game today.” Chloe says before we reach class. 

“We are.” Travis answers for me. 

“Can I join you? Chuck’s joined the soccer team as defensive backup till Track & Field starts up later this year, and my parents won’t drive me out there.” She continues.

I look at Travis and he nods. “More the merrier, join us after class.” I say with a smile. 

I can hear them kiss behind me and my smile widens. “Oh baby, it’s going to be so great watching you and the boys play!” I hear Chloe behind us. 

“Anyone else will have to find another ride. “Travis says as we enter class. “If we have to drive Trent, Tom, and Chuck home, we’re a full load.” 

Chuck adds in. “My parents are going to be out to the game today, so Chloe and I are can get a drive back home with them. Due to the hours my parents work, they’ll be going straight to Twinbrooks.

“Thank you my love. You’re such a sweetheart.” I say leaning into Travis. My boyfriend doesn’t hesitate in giving me a kiss as we sort out our seats. We’re taking up a good back quarter of the classroom now. Social Studies is probably one of the most boring of my classes, so I focus more on helping Cassandra out with elements she doesn’t understand. 

As we get out of class Tina says something to Leilani, and my girlfriend lets go of my hand as Tina slides beside me. “So I’ve been wondering...” Tina says in a low voice to not draw attention. 

“About what?” I says calmly with a smile, I have a feeling I know what her question’s going to be, but I want to make sure. 

“You obviously have something between your legs that keeps your girls happy.” Her voice is almost provocative. “How do you hide it? I’ve seen you in the skimpiest of shorts, and there’s never been an obvious bulge.” 

Cassandra smiles and Leilani giggles as they’re close enough to hear her question.   
“It’s called tucking.” I say in a low voice. I fold it under me, and the boys sort of tuck up inside me in the cavity that occupies your vagina. With looser clothing, I’ll often wear form-fitting control panties that keep it tight against my body.” I look over at Leilani. “Some of my relationships make tucking uncomfortable.” 

“Do I do that to you?” Leilani says is a low sultry voice. “ And I wince in answer as my tucked member wants to harden with her flirting. She giggles and Travis pulls her away and tells her to stop teasing me.

“Oh.” Tina says, noticing the exchange. 

Travis offers the girls a drive home, as we have to take the waterfront road to Twinbrooks. I start off in the back, knowing Cass will be the first to be dropped off. I give my girlfriend a loving kiss, as we both get out, so that I can sit beside my boyfriend. She holds me close and leans against me for a moment before heading into the house. Next to be dropped off is Leilani, and she sticks her head between Travis and I, first giving him a kiss and then kissing me lovingly before sliding out of the van. 

Chloe moves up beside Tina, now that we’re down to 5 in the van. “However did you hide so many relationships from school when you were dating Monique?” Chloe says in surprise. 

“Well, Cassandra and I have only been dating since Monday.” I say looking over my shoulder. “It wasn’t easy hiding my relationship with Leilani, she’s been pursuing me since that kiss at the slumber party.”

“Wow, you’ve been dating her since before school and no one knew?!” She says astonished. 

“A few close friends knew, some suspected, but really Leilani and I kept our relationship out of school. Being neighbours has helped with dating one another.” I say with a smile. 

“What about Travis?” Tina says. “Most of us thought you only liked girls till this week when we saw you two arm and arm, and kissing.”

“She hit on me at the end of the first week of school.” Travis answers for me, leaving me blushing. 

“Really?” Tina says now curious. 

“We went cycling, and then he invited me in for supper.” I start to explain. “His parents had a LOT of questions for me, so it made me wonder just how much of a crush he had on me.”

“I’ve had a crush on her since she first arrived in Willow Creek.” Travis blushes. 

“We started seeing each other on weekends and movie nights. It got really hard keeping my relationship secret with him, he keeps flirting with me in school.” I say in mock annoyance. And Travis chuckles in response. 

“With assets like yours it was really hard to do as little as I did!” Travis grins. 

“Then his parents figured out we were sleeping together and things got totally awkward!” I say in exaspiration.

“I’ll say!” Tina and Travis both respond at the same time and then laugh.

“So what changed?” Chloe asks. 

“My brother threatened to remove me from Willow Creek if I didn’t stop cheating behind Monique’s back. I had to come clean with her, for good or for bad, before I really hurt both of us.” I say with a solemn face. 

“Which is why she split up with you.” Tina finishes for me. 

“Monique is jealously monogamous, there was no way she was going to accept being only one of my relationships. I knew it would break her heart and ruin what we had together, but my brother was right, I wasn’t being fair to her. She had to know what I was doing.”

Chloe is quite for a moment. “How is it the four of you are all so intimate and no one gets jealous, or annoyed or angry with one another?” 

“I love each and everyone of them equally, and I don’t play games.” I reply. 

“And the girls don’t mind sharing.” Travis says. “We’ve sort of set up a pattern of who spends time with her, and occasionally even share her together.” My boyfriend finishes with a smile. 

“You mean…” Chloe says trying to find words. 

“Threesomes.” Travis grins. “You sometimes need two people to keep Leilani satisfied, she’s insatiable!”

“Travis is probably the kinkiest geek in school.” Tina says with a grin. 

“Oh wow!….” Chloe exclaims. “How many people know about this?” 

“Our small group of friends.” I reply. “Those who we didn’t tell directly were pretty quick to figure out that the three of us are sexually active with one another.” 

“The hickeys we keep leaving on one another didn’t help” Travis says with a chuckle. 

“Wait the three of you?” Chloe says confused. “What about Cassandra?” 

“We’re not sexually active yet, Cass is a bit shy, so we’re taking it slow.” I reply. “Besides it’s sort of nice just dating for a change.” 

Zoe had been quiet most of the trip, and she smiles from the back seat. “You two are so adorably cute together, you’re taking Cassandra to the dance next weekend, right?”

Travis and I hadn’t had this discussion yet, so I look at him questioningly. I don’t want to upset him. He smiles and nods. 

“Yes, I’ll be Cassandra’s date for the dance, but I don’t expect us to be split pairs for long.” I say with a smile, and Travis puts a hand on my knee and squeezes. 

“If you think I’m going to sit through a whole dance and not have at least one slow song with my hot redhead girlfriend, good luck.” He says teasingly. 

We all laugh at the playfulness of the comment. “I would never deny my boyfriend a dance together.” I say softly and he smiles. 

“So, how is you date all these girls but only have one boyfriend?” Chloe gets curious. 

“I only need one boyfriend.” I say to start. “And to be honest, there are not very many boys in school that know what I have between my legs, and I kind of like it that way.” 

“Why is that?” Zoe asks adding in the conversation.

“Penis envy.” Travis says flatly. 

“What?” the girls say together. 

“Telling Trent and the boys in our computer club is one thing, there’s no sexual interest with any of them.” I start.

“Okay…?” Chloe says as she’s not quite getting it, Tina is giggling. 

“Let’s just say that Rose is just as muscular and exceptional down there as the rest of her body is.” Travis starts. “While I have no interest in it, there’s a reason why she can keep more than one girl satisfied.” He lets that sink in for a moment. “And while the girls love it, I don’t know many guys in school who would feel comfortable knowing that their girlfriend is better endowed than they are.” He finishes. 

“Oh.” Chloe responds, I can hear Zoe giggle in the background, I glance back and Tina has the same look of curious hunger Leilani had the night I came out to her. Oh dear, she’s going to be harder to resist now that she needs to see it.

“Except maybe Tim, you flirt with him any more dear and he might forget just what’s between your legs and go for it anyway.” Travis says mildly annoyed. 

“What?” I say defensively but can’t keep my face straight and smile. “He is kinda cute.” 

“He doesn’t know what kind of sexual appetite you have.” He glances at me. “I don’t think he’s ready for what you have to offer.” 

“You’re probably right, I’ll just keep him around as a puppy.” I say with a smug smile. 

Travis does a double take, and is about to say something then merely shakes his head. 

“What? Cassandra’s the one who started the term. She said it was like all of my romantic interests follow me around like a pack of puppies.” 

“Has she ever realize that she’s a puppy too?” Travis says with a smile, now getting the joke.

“No, but that’s okay.” I say with a smile. “It’s still just as fun.” 

In the corner of my eye, I see Tina get this mischievous grin and she leans as far forward as her seatbelt will allow, Reaching the edge between the seats. “Can I be one of your puppies?” She says playfully. 

“You certainly can my darlin’.” I say playfully, before she can react, I twist in my seat and plant a kiss on her lips. Tina’s eyes grow wide in surprise and she falls back in her seat with a dazed smile on her lips. 

“Wooow…” Chloe says as she looks over to Tina and back again.

“Rose is quick and good for catching people off-guard.” Travis chuckles. Zoe joins him and is laughing in the back. She’s seen some of my antics in the past. 

“I haven’t heard you complain about it handsome…” I say teasingly. 

“The way you leave a lover satisfied there certainly nothing to complain about honey.” He grins. 

“Are you always so candid?” Chloe says surprised. 

“Chloe, since you started dating Chuck, you would not believe what you’ve missed what we get on with in the cafeteria!” Zoe says with a big grin. “You two should start sitting with us, it’s never dull in our corner.” 

“I’ll mention that to Chuck and see about sitting with you all tomorrow.”

I’m quickly checking the weather forecast as an idea comes to mind. I turn to Tina. “It’s supposed to be nice on Saturday, do you think we can do the beach then?” I have to move Sunday, so it’s the best time to go.” 

“Works for me!” Zoe states. 

“Yeah works for me too.” Tina smiles. “I’ll tell Amber tonight.”

“Beach?” Chloe looks at us confused. 

“Coach has asked us to be on the volleyball team this winter!” Tina replies to her all excited. “So Rose, Cass, Zoe, Amber, Leilani and I are going to celebrate the fact we’re already passed our trials.” 

“Boyfriends included!” Zoe says reinforcing that she’s bringing Trent with her. 

“Damn right I’m going to be there!” Travis says with a grin and we all laugh. 

We spend the rest of our trip sorting out what we’d like to do at the beach on Saturday.


	14. Twinbrooks

We arrive in Twinbrooks, and I’m looking over my Maps app as I give Travis the quickest route to the school. He still marvels how fast I can read a map and even find a short cut to take rather than follow the main traffic roads. 

We pull into the parking lot, navigating around other cars that are pulling into the visitor’s parking. I spot our school’s bus and the boys are just starting to file out. I spot Mitchel getting his camera ready to take team shots. I look forward to seeing them. 

“Just a moment.” Travis says as we get out of the van and stretch. He pulls out two large blankets from the back of the van. “It’s cooler here than back home, so I thought I’d bring blankets to help keep us warm. He smiles. 

“You are such a thoughtful sweetheart.” I say with a smile and give my boyfriend a kiss.

I drape one of the blankets over my shoulder and Travis carries the other. Tina looks like she wants to ask something, but shyly sways instead. I reach out my hand to her, and she smiles. She gladly takes my right hand and entwines our fingers. I take Travis’ hand with my left and we walk up to the playfield looking for the visitors stands. 

Zoe wants to sit in the front row and we’re just organizing space so we can sit behind her when I hear a familiar voice call my name. I let go of Tina and Travis and turn in time to get a big hug from Yasmin as she nearly hops into my arms in happiness. 

After holding each other for awhile, we finally let go of one another. I’m still holding her by the waist and she has her hands loosely draped around my shoulders. 

“Yasmin! What are you doing here!?” I say in surprise.

“Brad’s on the soccer team now as their new forward!” She replies all giddy. 

“That’s great!” I say happily and smile back. 

I look over to the field and sure enough, there he is. He’s not hard to spot, being a head taller than most of other boys. I see a change in his expressing, and he starts marching towards us. 

I frown. “We don’t have time for this.” I grumble. She gives me a confused look.

I let go of Yasmin and walk towards Brad, meeting him on the field. “Don’t!” I say in a firm voice. 

He blinks for a moment. “What?” 

“Don’t start this.” I scold him. “We don’t need your jealousy right now. We’re on the field, you need to keep you mind focus here. On the field, and on the game.” I say in a firm tone, pointing my finger down.

“But..” He starts. 

“No buts! Soccer’s not your main game, you need to focus on the field, and on your team. This isn’t Track & Field, there’s no breaks in soccer. You have to keep your mind on the game, all the time. There’s no medal for top player. You work together to win the cup, for your team. Do I make myself clear?” I’m starting to sound like my coach. He merely nods thoughtfully.

“Now Twinbrooks has a strong defense. You are going to have to work hard and work smart to get past them to score. Work with Trent and Craig, keep the ball moving between the 3 of you. Keep the defense wondering who’s going to punch forward. Take turns taking shots at the goal, don’t make it a one man show, got it?”

“Got it.” He smiles. 

“Now go show them what Willow Creek is made of and win this game for us.” I smile and give him a slap on the shoulder. 

“We’ll make you all proud of us!” He says with a grin. He turns around and runs back to his teammates. 

I let go a deep breath, one minor crisis averted. I walk back to my friends. Travis has this look of surprise, Tina is grinning and Yasmin is showing mild shock. 

“You’re the only one I know that can talk to my boyfriend like that, and get away with it.” Yasmin says in wonder. 

“It’s cause, unlike most people, Rose isn’t afraid of him.” Tina says with a grin. 

“What? I just gave him a pep talk.” I say defensively. Travis shakes his head and Zoe giggles. 

“You’re not this team’s captain and yet still acting like one.” Coach’s voice says from behind me. “Ever thought of making coaching a career once you graduate?” 

I turn and smile to him. “That’s not a bad idea coach, I’ll think about it.” 

“Are you here for someone or just sizing up the competition?” he says with a smile. 

“Trent and I are friends and I’m here to cheer him on.” I say with a smile. 

“I take it you’re going to be watching the play and analyzing the opposition.” He says with a knowing smile. 

“Me? Why would I ever do that?” I say with and innocent smile and he laughs. 

“Let me know what you see.” He grins and goes back to talking to the boys. 

We start settling in the stands as the game is starting. Zeo, Chloe & Yasmin are sitting in front of us, Travis, Tina and I are on the next row up. We cover ourselves with blankets and I pass around juice from my bag. Travis looks in my bag, wondering where those were hiding. 

“So that’s why you didn’t leave your bag in the van.” He says smiling. 

“I have granola bars too if anyone is hungry.” I say with a smile. 

“Can I have one?” Tina asks snuggling against me. 

“Fudge or Peanut Butter?” I ask her, kissing her nose as she’s so close. 

Tina giggles. “Fudge please.” She lets go of me as I reach down into a side pocket and pull two out. One for her, one for me. 

Travis and Tina snuggle against me as the game gets into play. Brad wins the coin toss, and being the big guy he is, powers forward with the ball. I can see him frown with the defense comes at him at angles. He stands there for a moment. He looks like he’s about to dash forward but does a heel kick tossing the ball to Trent. Trent grabs the ball doing a wide circle, the defense misses the feint and struggles to catch up to him.   
He’s too close to the line, the goalie’s blocking any decent shot to the net. He punts it to Craig who tosses the ball to the far end of the net winning our first goal. 

Back to center line, and their captain kicks the ball to his left forward. He goes around Brad’s right side. The forward pases it back to his captain. The boy is playing with the ball, he’s keeping it close and doesn’t follow a straight line. Just when it looks like he’s going to take a shot at Tom, he flip kicks it over John’s head and his right forward sinks the goal. 

“They’re pretty well matched.” Tina observes. 

“The captain’s a showman, he’s good at ball control, and stunts.” I comment. “His right forward #5 is his power kicker, he’ll be the one taking most of the shots at net.” 

“You can tell that already?” She looks at me. 

I nod. “It’s the same play that you and I would have done.” 

Tina smiles.

“You can’t just watch the game for fun can you?” Travis comments. 

“Analyzing the game play is fun dear.” I reply with a grin. He merely shakes his head. 

I feel a warmth against my legs as Yasmin shuffles back and uses my legs as a back rest. She’s still flirting with me, even though Brad’s right there on the field. 

Brad’s ball, but his opponent is on to his first move and steals the ball as Brad kicks it too far from himself. He dodges Trent and starts making his way to our goal. I yell out to coach. 

“Block #5.” A few people look at me, but coach gets the message.

He whistles out and the boys look at him briefly, he puts his hand up showing a 5 and they nod. John is quick to run to intercept the captain’s shot to his power kicker, sending the ball to Craig to push forward. I smile as I see the frustration on their captain’s face as he runs to catch up with Craig. They struggle in mid-field as to where the ball is going to go. Their defense is keeping our boys from pushing forward. 

When Brad finally does get a shot through, it’s easily intercepted by their goalie. As the goalie tosses high. Trent gets and idea - having seen our game yesterday. He intercepts the ball with his head, sending it over to Brad. The surprised goalie doesn’t have time to recover before Brad sinks it in the left corner. The boys are cheering and giving themselves high-fives. 

“That was my trick. So Trent isn’t just coming to our games to support you, he’s there to pick up on our tactics.” Tina says almost in my ear. I smile and she kisses my cheek. “You knew.” 

“When not working on our assignments, Trent and I trade soccer strategies.” I say still smiling. “We’ve gotten really close in the last month, which is why I knew that he’d go for someone like Zoe.” 

“And get him to stop flirting with you.” Tina says with a smile. 

“That too.” I admit. 

We’re 2-1 and the defense is constantly blocking passes to #5, I can see the frustration on the captain’s face as our boys seem to be messing up their best forward strategy. He tries to change tactics, but neither he or his other forward #10 are getting past Tom. 

Referee calls for half time and the boys come off the field. 

“I want to see if we can help on getting another goal.” I say indicating I want to get up. 

“I’ll join you.” Tina says and I give Travis a kiss as we leave him alone with the blanket. 

I hadn’t notice Yasmin get up, but she’s beside Brad, towel in hand, and cheering him on for his goal. He smiles and they trade a quick kiss. Which is nothing compared to what Zoe is giving Trent. She gives him a long loving kiss, and she hangs of his neck and they rub noses and sweet talk one another. 

“Okay boys, we have a hard game.” Coach calls their attention. “We’re up a point, meaning you really just need to keep them from scoring again.” He says smiling. 

“The captain’s got a lot of fancy footwork, but he’s not a strong kicker.” Trent comments. 

“Good, you spotted that.” Coach says. “So, the goal is to keep the captain, who likes to keep the ball to himself, away from his teammates. Isolated, they won’t be able to score.” The boys nod to him. “Brad, Trent, Craig, find a way to punch through their defense. Maybe wear them down a little.” 

“I was starting to.” Brad says. 

“How about Brad and Craig hammer their defense, and Trent stay on the other side. That way, the next shot Brad gets through Trent can intercept for a better shot at goal?” I say. 

The all turn to me. Coach has a smile on his face. Tina kicks me for giving away one of our plays, but hey, these are our guys, I’m willing to share with our school. 

“I love your thinking.” Trent grins. “Sound good to you guys?” The boys all nod. 

“Do we have a moment for a half-time show?” Tom asks. Tina and I smile and we look at coach expectantly. 

“Go ahead, I’ve said my piece.” He says with a smile. 

Tina and I grab balls and we start juggling while Trent and Tom grab more and join us. It takes us a few bounces for the four of us to get in synch. And then I call out the turns. First the knees, feet, then knee, back kick, knee, back kick. And you’re swear we were practicing this for weeks the way we are so well in synch. 

“Try something risky?” Tina asks. I nod. “Okay, to the right up, to the left down. 

She bounces her ball my way, I pass mine to Trent, and he gets the idea passing down to me as we have the balls running what looks like a conveyor belt once we get start the second pass down in a smooth motion. The crowd is cheering us on. Trent misses a pass-down, but I catch it with my foot, tossing it over to Tom to start the chain again. 

Finally the fun stops when the referee calls the players to the field. Everyone is clapping and cheering, and we take a bow before splitting ways. Tina and I put the balls away as the boys run off on to the field. 

“I don’t even need cheerleaders with you two around.” Coach chuckles as Tina and I start heading back to the stands holding hands. 

“Only half-time shows.” Tina grins. 

Second period and the boys are on our side of the field now. Brad wins the toss, and instead of powering forward, he feints to kick forward, but then passes to Trent as his opponent shifts to intercept where he thought the ball was going. Good play Brad!

Yasmin hoots and cheers him on. 

We have the ball in their end and the boys are pressing hard at the defense, when Trent sees them start to wear down, he runs behind them. The motion catches #7 off guard and Brad uses the opportunity to punch it forward to Trent. Trent goes to kick at goal, but feints, when the goalie goes to block he suddenly dashes to the left and sinks the ball in before their goalie can recover. 

We’re 3-1 and Twinbrooks is getting really aggressive as they try to catch up. Our boys are having a hard time keeping the ball on their end as they continually push forward. Tom looks like he’s starting to wear down, but has managed to block 4 shots already. The fifth he misses catching and it goes off side. 

Having an off-side kick so close to goal is risky and it pays off for Twinbrooks as they manage to sneak the ball into a corner shot. 

Now at 3-2, the boys are determined to keep the ball away from Tom. And I can see the sweat soak their shirts as the run hard to keep the ball at the opposition. #5 manages to get a power kick past our boys and poor John intercepts it unexpectedly with his face. He falls like a rag doll and the Ref calls to stop play. Chuck gets up and takes his place, Chloe cheering him on, as Brad helps John off the field. The poor boy’s forehead is beet red and the medic is examining him for possible concussion. 

A freshman girl is beside john with an ice bag and fawning over him. I guess that’s his girlfriend. 

Ref shows a green flag, meaning no penalty, and the ball is back in play. The boys continue their aggressive play against the opposition, determined to keep them away from goal. Chuck wasn’t idle when he was on the bench, he’s been watching them play. Every time the ball end up on our end, he’s kicking it back, nothing is getting past him. 

As the game ends the boys are exhausted but happy. They won a good hard game, everyone shakes hands to show there’s no animosity and the boys start coming back to the stands. 

“Are we going to have an after game celebration like you girls do?” Trent asks expectantly. 

“I have no problem with that.” Travis says. “You game Tom?” he asks Tina’s brother. 

Tom looks over to Tina who’s now hanging off my arm like a girlfriend. “Sure.” 

“Can we join you?” Chloe asks.

“I don’t have room in the van for 8.” Travis says sadly. 

Chuck puts up a hand then runs to the other end of the stands. I see him talking with some adults, which - by the look of the man - would be his dad, they look a lot alike. After they talk for a few minutes he runs back with a smile. 

“Just as I was hoping, Mom and Dad will join us for supper and then drive Chloe and I home.” 

Chloe hugs him close excitedly and they kiss. 

We walk towards the visitor parking. “So, where are we eating?” I ask, not knowing Twinbrooks very well. 

“There’s an Apple Barrel nearby that’s a favorite for sports teams.” Chuck says, we’ll meet you there. 

“I’ll follow you then.” Travis says.   
Tom walks beside Tina, noting that I’m holding both his sister’s and my boyfriend’s hands. I can see the questions forming on his face, but he’s not saying anything yet.


	15. Twinbrooks After the Game

I’m looking up the Apple Barrel on my Maps app, in case we lose Chuck’s parents in traffic. Travis had noted what car Chloe went into, and so he waits for them to pull out before following. 

I have to say that Chuck’s dad is a decent driver, he makes sure we’re always the same distance apart, so that no cars can merge in and separate us. We make it to the restaurant and his parents offer to sit at a table beside us, as the 8 of us take up a large round table. 

For Tina, Trent, Zoe, Travis and I, this is just like any after game celebration. We order a large pitcher of Iced Tea, and share appetizer platters. 

Travis orders a full rack of ribs and I order their biggest chicken finger dinner. Tina decides to one up it and add their largest fish dish. 

“Surf and turf!” She announces, indicating we’ll be sharing the dishes between the four of us - and whoever wants a piece. 

Zeo and Trent decide to share a roast dinner together. 

When the appetizers arrive I decide to play a game with my boyfriend. I take an onion ring in my mouth and offer it to him. We each start eating opposite ends, finishing with a kiss and then breaking away to munch our respective halves. I see Tina pout in the corner of my eye, and decide to do the same with her. The look of elation on her face is precious, and we each eat our ends down finishing in the biggest kiss that she and I have shared yet. Everyone is cheering us on, till we finally break and finish eating. 

We don’t have time to linger over our little food play before Travis is looking to share more. I’d almost say he’s trying to one up what Tina and I shared as his kiss is even more passionate than the first. This brings on even bigger cheers from our friends. I lean against him and blush as he gives me a sheepish grin. 

When I sit back up to get a drink, Tom is leaning forward to get my attention. 

“So what’s the deal between you and my sister?” He says in a calm voice. 

I’m not sure what to answer when Tina comes to my rescue. “I’ve had a crush on Rose since the first day of soccer trials. When she was dating Monique, I thought I could just be happy being her friend, and being close to her whenever possible.” 

“So what changed?” Tom asks, “you haven’t mentioned anything to mom & dad about you dating your soccer captain.” 

“Well, we’re not technically dating yet…” I say looking at Tina. 

“Rose had a meltdown on the way to Newcrest yesterday, and it opened up the chance for me to finally admit my feelings when I helped her through it.” He looks at Travis and then I questioningly. “I’ve learned in our time together that Rose is polyamorous.” Tina continues. “She’s dating Travis, **and** two other girls, I figured that I could maybe join in on the fun.” Tina blushes at her last comment, and I take her hand to reassure her it’s okay.

Tom looks thoughtful for a moment, and Travis decides to be cheeky. “No Tom, she’s not your type, don’t even think of it.” 

I elbow my boyfriend, and we all laugh as Tom’s face turns red. 

The main dishes arrive and the waitress is kind enough to bring extra plates. We leave the dishes in the middle of the table, and help ourselves to a little bit of everything. 

“You girls do this every week?” Tom asks in surprise as he helps himself to some chicken. 

“Sharing dishes and the bill makes it easier on the serving personal, and your wallet, as you only really need one big dish per 2 to 3 people.” Zoe says and then turns as Trent feeds her some roast. 

“Or 3 plates for two people in Travis and Rose’s case.” Trent teases us, making everyone laugh as I turn to object that I don’t eat that much! I just smile and slump, there’s no point arguing and lean against Travis lovingly. 

Chuck’s parents quietly watch us as we laugh, joke, intimately feed each other, and over all have fun. 

“You know, we need to get the rest of the guys in on this, I’m having a great time!” Chuck says happily. He and Chloe are sharing a chicken platter with Trent stealing the occasional fry to be cheeky. 

“We were something like 20 invading the Villa Bovine yesterday, it was an amazing time!” Trent comments waiting for Zoe to feed him mashed potatoes from their plate. They had started doing that near the end of their meal yesterday, and seem to thoroughly enjoy it.

“I’m sure the serving personnel loved you for it.” Chucks mom says, I pick up a hint of sarcasm in her voice. 

“Actually they loved us!” I smile. “While we tend to be a bit loud, we aren’t over-demanding, didn’t complain, and we put all the plates together in the end, cleaning up the table before we left.”

“Not to mention the tips we left for putting up with us.” Travis says with a grin as he nibbles on a rib.

“How did it all start?” Chuck says curiously. 

“It all started after our first day of trials. Monique wanted to celebrate Rose being named team captain, Cassandra decided we should make it a group thing. So those of us closest to Rose went together.” Tina starts. “Then it just sort of got bigger from there, it’s been a great way for us to bond as a team and get to know each other. I’ve never had this many teammates that I could call my closest friends in anything I’ve played.”

“And now we just sort of move as a group in every class we share.” Zoe adds to it. “I’ve never had this many friends in one year, it’s amazing!” 

“Yesterday we celebrated that it was Rose who made this all possible. I believe she brings out the best in all of us!” Tina brings up her class in cheer. 

“It was Rose who brought Trent and I together.” Zoe says lovingly, raising her glass and she and Trent kiss. 

“It was Rose who took this shy little geek and made him realize there was more to life.” Travis raises his glass. 

“It was Rose who taught me to not hide my affections, and why I finally was brave enough to ask Chuck out.” Chloe adds. _Wow, I never realized that_.

“Who am I to argue.” Tom adds in. “To Rose!” 

They all toast to me and I can’t help but blush at all the attention. This was never who I was before my transition. I was never popular, I was never idolized, I was never this loved and appreciated before. I never realized my life could change so much in just one year. Travis and Tina lean towards me and each kiss my cheeks making me blush even more. 

“You are all too kind.” I say bashfully. “You would not believe that I was nothing like the person you know merely a year ago. I owe part of who I am today to all of you. It is your love and your unconditional friendship that has helped me shed the dark layers that surrounded me, helping me to be more open, more loving, so that I could share my happiness with all of you in return. Thank you.” 

We toast again and cheer and I trade kisses with Tina and with Travis. Tina is become less and less reserved in showing her feelings for me. I think I’m going to have to admit by this weekend that she’s one of my girlfriends. Travis seems to have already accepted her into our circle of intimacy, he’s not said a word or acted jealous. I’m going to have to talk to Cassandra and Leilani about it before Tina and I go any further though. I don’t know if Tina and I will ever go all the way, not sure if we’ll ever have a chance to… But my girlfriends need to know that it might happen.

Conversation start drifting towards schoolwork. As it’s mid-semester, some of us have projects and assignments that are in their final weeks. Trent and I have our History Project. Zoe and I have our Geology project due the following week, after Harvestfest. Which brought up others talking about what they’re doing or just about to hand in at the end of the week. With Chuck and Tom being seniors, Trent being in 10th, we’re split between 3 grades, it’s interesting hearing the different subjects that everyone is working on. 

Tom gets this thoughtful look on his face. “So Rose…” he starts. And I look at him. “You’re in classes with Tina.” I nod. “But you’re also in classes with Trent? I thought he was a sophomore.” 

“He is. I have some grade 10 classes to catch up on this year, and will be taking 3 more Junior grade classes this summer, so that I can graduate with Tina, Travis and the rest of my friends next year.” I reply, munching on a rib. 

“You seem pretty smart, how did that happen?” Tom pursues his line of thought. 

Tina puts a comforting hand on mine as I look down thoughtfully, trying to figure out how best to answer his question. “You don’t have to answer my brother if you feel uncomfortable…” she says. 

“No, no, I’m okay, I’m just trying to find the best way to answer this, but I guess I might as well just lay it out straight without dodging questions like I was at the beginning of the year.” I give her a smile.

“You sure?” she looks worried and Tom is look really curious as to what Tina might holding back on.

“Tom, your sister is worried that I might not be able to say this all out at once, as I’d been secretive about my past when I first moved her. But, as most people important to me already know the whole story, there’s no point leaving things out… So I hope you’re ready for a pretty harsh answer.” 

He raises and eyebrow. 

“First of all, I am a transgender girl. I was not born female, I’ve not had all my surgeries yet, which makes me different from pretty much everyone else in school.” Tom’s jaw drops. 

“Second, my parents didn’t agree with my being gender variant, my father violently opposed my transition, so - last April - I left home and move to Britechester with my brother, so that I could be safe, and start my transition early, as my doctor recommended.” By now I have his full attention, he’s not even bothering to interrupt or ask questions. 

“So, because I never finished my sophomore year in the city, I had to redo my 2nd term from last year when I moved to Willow Creek. Meaning I’m half a grade behind right now. Discarding all my off-blocks and optional credits, I’ll only need to do 3 courses this summer to catch up.” 

Tom looks thoughtful for a moment. I can see both Travis and Tina watching to see if I’ll have a meltdown, but I think I’m finally at a point I can talk about this without being upset about it.

“So.. Who all knows about you not being a real girl?” Tom says 

Tina half gets up and smacks her brother on the head. “She is a real girl, don’t say that!” 

She draws attention from everyone nearby with her raised voice. Rather than me being embarrassed, Tom slinks in his chair - as all the attention is drawn on him. 

Everything is quiet for awhile, no one says a thing as Tina looks down on her brother angrily waiting for him to make his next vocal mistake. He puts up his hands in surrender and everyone eventually calms down, Tina sits down again as Tom straightens up. Chuck is now paying attention to the conversation, the rest of the table is glaring at Tom. 

“I take it everyone else here but Chuck and I know that you’re…. A transgender girl.” He corrects himself in a low voice. 

“Yes. And I would like you to respect that fact that Rose is a girl.” Tina says still upset. 

“She certainly is.” Travis says with a smile taking a drink. 

Tom looks between Travis and I. “You … you’re not just dating are you?” looking at Travis. 

“Travis knows how to make a girl feel special.” I say seductively. He turns and gives me a kiss in response.   
Tom is about to say something else, and Tina raises her hand. “If you so as much think that they have anything but a straight relationship, I’m going to smack you all the way out of this restaurant!” the treat in her tone is real, but she’s keeping her voice low. 

“I… sorry.” He looks at Tina. “I shouldn’t make assumptions.” 

“Thank you.” Travis says taking a bite of chicken. 

“Wait.. You and Monique were intimate, weren’t you?” Tom says… starting on a different train of thought. 

Chuck intervenes this time. “Tom, stop while you’re ahead. Rose is one of the most popular girls in school, and still has a huge fan base - despite what her ex-girlfriend spread around. Careful what you say next before you get shunned by a lot of kids at school.” 

“My dating and sexual activities are not part of the school gossip ring for a reason.” I give Tom a threatening glare. 

Tom backs away. “Okay, you’re even scarier than my sister when you give that look, I’m sorry, I’m just trying to understand things.” 

Travis is chuckling. “Rose can lift twice my weight with her arms, and three times my weight with her legs. I don’t know anyone is school who’s dared to test her patience.” 

“You mean, weights as in the gym?” Tom asks, now curious. I’m fully dressed, he wasn’t at our game yesterday, so he’s not seen my muscle mass. 

“No, as in me physically. My body weight.” Travis corrects him. “She’s actually fairly light for someone so strong.” 

“If you consider 70 kilos as light.” I add in. 

“It’s the same weight as I am.” Travis comments.

“Only cause I’ve been bringing you with me to the Gym on Mondays.” I tease him. 

“I’m getting close to what you can bench press.” Travis defends himself.

“You wish you were.” I tease him further. 

Tina chuckles. “You two are so cute, how no one thought of you as a couple before is amazing.” 

“What?” Travis and I say together and the table starts laughing. 

We spend the rest of supper talking about exercise routines and weight training. Tom seems to be done asking inappropriate questions and joins in on discussing his training routine. 


	16. Homeward Bound

On the way out of the restaurant we say bye to Chloe and Chuck as they join his parents, and start walking to the van. Trent and I are making plans to meet after school tomorrow to work on our project. 

“Tom what are you thinking? I hear Tina say from behind me. 

“I’m thinking that Travis is exaggerating.” Tom says. 

“Tom, she’s twice as strong as I am, you don’t want to do this..” Tina says as I turn around, still holding my boyfriend’s hand. 

“What, I just want to do a friendly tug-o-war.” Tom says calmly. 

“Tug-o-war?” I ask curiously. 

“Yeah, the guys and I do it all the time. You clasp hands as if you’re doing an arm wrestle. The goal is to pull your opponent off balance and make them tumble towards you across the line, it’s to test your stance and strength.” He says. 

I give him a coy smile. “Okay, let’s play your game.” 

I take off my school warmer, I’m only wearing my T-shirt from gym underneath. He suddenly sees my upper body build and I see his confident smirk drop. 

“Honey, hold this for me, and no one stand behind me.” I tell Travis, handing him my jacket.

I put one foot on one of the parking lines, brace in a defensive stance, crook my arm, and extend my hand. Travis has a big smile on his face, Tina still looks worried for some reason. Not to stand down, Tom puts his foot against mine and we clasp hands. I wait for him to start, and feel him pull, he’s watching my bicep flex as he pulls harder, but I haven’t moved at all. 

“Come on!” he challenges me. “Do something!” 

“Anything?” I ask with a devious look on my face. 

“Rose?….” Travis gets a worried look on his face. 

“Show me what you got!” He grimaces as he pulls harder. 

Something clicks in me, I suddenly twist, grabbing his upper arm, just below the armpit. So that I don’t pull his arm out of his socket, I bend my knees before pushing my rump against his stomach while pulling forward. The motion has pushed him off balance, and he’s a rag doll as I flip him over me, landing him on his butt. He releases my hand with the force of the impact,I grab his wrist, turn around and pin his arm to his chest with my knee. Tom lets out a breath in surprise.

“Do you yield?” I ask him. 

He starts to try to struggle, I see his face get red in anger, and he brings his left arm up to strike me. I catch his wrist with my right hand and squeeze. 

“Do you yield!?” I say a bit more forcefully. “I can make this more painful if you struggle.” 

“Rose, let him go.” Tina pleads. 

“Fine.” I say in a flat voice, getting off of her brother and start walking toward the van. 

Travis is on the drivers side with Tina, and I wait for Zoe and Trent to get in the van. I can hear Tom get up behind us, I turn to see if he’s coming, when I spot him coming at me with a sucker punch. My adrenaline kicks in, and my head moves to the right as my left hand catches his fist. I catch his throat with my right hand, using his momentum, I spin him around, and pin him against the front passenger side door. 

“Didn’t your mother ever teach you never to strike a lady!” I say angrily, squeezing his throat. “Now I can make this as painless or as painful as you want, decide now!” 

His eyes grow wide in surprise and he gasps to breathe. 

“Rose!” Tina says in surprise. “Don’t hurt him!” 

“Fine!” I say. 

I Let go of his throat, he gasps, but doesn’t have time to react as I grab him by the jacket and toss him between the cars and into the grass past the parking lot. He rolls softly and groans. I stand there in a defensive stance, waiting for him to make his next move. Everyone in the van just sits there stunned.   
Tom slowly gets up and looks at me, I haven’t moved a muscle. My green eyes have grown dull, and the anger of my face is clear. He puts his hands up. 

“Okay, you win, holy crap are you are strong!” he says trying to regain his breathing. 

I haven’t moved yet, still waiting for him to attack again. 

“No, seriously. Please, enough.” He says stumbling towards the open back door. 

I still don’t move until he gets in the van and closes the door. Only then do I relax, open the door and climb in beside my boyfriend. 

“Honey…” Travis says tentatively. “Are you okay?” 

“I’ll be fine” I say flatly, there’s still a undertone of annoyance in my voice. 

“Tom, I told you not to push it, I’ve never seen Rose so angry.” Tina says in a worried tone. 

“Where did you learn to move like that?!” Tom says in exasperation rubbing his sore throat. 

“Outside of swimming, my father forced me into Mixed Martial Arts. Then he wasn’t happy till I reached a black belt.” I say my tone still just below anger. 

I put my hands together, close my eyes, and take a deep breath, just like my sensei taught me, regain control of my anger, find balance. When I open my eyes again, the colour has returned to my pupils and and my face softens. 

Travis is quietly watching me out of the corner of his eye as he drives. “Darlin’, you never told me you took martial arts back then.” 

“I don’t like the broadcast that I’ve learned how to hurt people.” I say calmly. “In the past, it made people challenge me to see just how tough I was, and the dojo frowns upon using excessive force in public.” 

“You mean you could have…” Tom says in a worried tone. 

“Paralized you or worse. Though I’m not allowed to use lethal force unless my life is threatened.” I say without emotion. 

“You’ve just reached a whole new level of scary Rose.” Tom replies. “Look, I’m sorry. I went too far and lost my temper.” 

I take a deep breath and my voice softens. “I should be the one who should apologize, I could have seriously hurt you. What are you going to tell others tomorrow when they see that bruise on your neck?”

“You left a bruise with that grip?” he asks.

“Most likely, yes.” I reply sadly. 

He moves his neck a little, stretching, and clears his throat. “I’m going to tell them I picked a fight with the wrong person, and leave it at that. Most people know not to push me if I don’t give an answer.” 

“Rose, I’ve never seen you lose your temper like that, are you going to be okay?” Tina says in a worried tone. 

I’m upset with myself for loosing control like I did, but I’m not going to tell Tina that. 

“I’ll be fine.” I say calmly. 

The look on Travis and Tina’s face show that they don’t believe me. 

“You’re, like, a body builder.” Tom says still trying to absorb everything that happened. 

“She is a body builder Tom. Anyone who’s seen Rose in shorts or short sleeves don’t dare test her patience like you just did. Now you know why.” Travis says clearly annoyed. 

“I… you did warn me about that earlier, and I didn’t listen. Sorry.” He says leaning back and letting out a deep breath. 

“Tom?” I say calmly, not turning around. 

“Yeah?” he says a touch of worry in his voice. 

“I love your sister, but don’t ever think I’m going to trust you any time soon.” 

Tina’s face lights up with my admission that I love her. Tom on the other hand puts his head down. 

“I… I guess I earned that.” He says sadly. 

“I’ve never even seen Brad cross the line you just did.” Travis says, “Tina, is your brother always such a hot head and easy to anger?”

“Yes, unfortunately.” Tina says in a scolding tone, her brother looks embarrassed. “Which is why he said no one will push him for an answer. All the boys in his class know not to piss him off.” 

“How often has he ever lost a fight?” Trent asks curiously. 

“Apparently not often enough.” Tina says in a stern voice and he gives her an apologetic look. 

“Look, I’m really sorry, I’m not going to cause any more trouble.” He says in a worried tone.

I slump in the chair and let go a deep breath, putting my head in my hands. 

“Rose?” Travis says in a worried tone. “Are you okay honey?” 

I can’t contain my guilt any longer. I lift my head, tears welling in my eyes. “I told my sensei and my councilor that I would no longer let my anger control me, and I just really hurt Tom.” I say sadly. 

He puts his hand on my leg and I lean against him, holding on to his arm with one hand. 

“All those months of therapy, meditation and self-control classes… and I just failed.” I sniffle, letting a tear roll down my cheek. 

“You used to be worse than this?” Tom asks in surprise. 

I can feel Tina’s hand on my shoulder. “After I started martial arts, I nearly got suspended three times for fighting. The last one, I put the boy in the hospital, and my father grounded me for a month.” I say sadly. “My sensei threatened to throw me out of the dojo for using excessive force.” I sniffle. “I spent two more months trying to prove to him that I was worthy to continue my training.” 

“What happened?” Tina asks in a soft voice, reaching forward and wiping my tears away.

“I never got a chance to.” My brother came home. My father went livid when he read the letter of recommendation, and we left that night.” I take a deep breath. “I’ve not been back to the city since.” 

“Except for back to school shopping.” Travis says calmly. 

I let go a single chuckle. “Except for back to school shopping.” I smile slightly and look up at him. He’s so sweet.

I reach down for my bag that Travis had left at my feet. And pull out a tissue, I let go of his arm and blow my nose. 

“Outside of my suicide attempts, you now know the darkest part of my past.” I say sadly, wiping my eyes and then blowing my nose again. 

“I want to know one thing.” Travis says calmly. 

“What?” I ask wondering where is question is going. 

“How is it you seem to know where everything is in that pack of yours? You just reach in and take things out, no hunting around or fumbling.” He says in amazement. 

I laugh, he’s good at changing my mood. I lean against his shoulder again and smile. “I love you so much.” 

“I love you too”, he smiles. “Though that still doesn’t answer my question.” 

We all laugh and I just shake my head. “I can’t tell you all of my secrets my love, there would be nothing left to surprise you with.” I say in a teasing voice. 

Travis quickly gives me a kiss and then goes back to watching the road.   
Now that my mood is improved Tom decides to probe me. “So…” 

“No Tom, you’re still not forgiven for driving me to lose my temper.” I say in a stern voice. 

“Gotcha.” He says and leans back in his seat. 

“Short tempered redheads aren’t just a myth Tom, that should have been your first clue.” Trent prods him.   
Tom looks thoughtful. “Yes, she is a natural redhead.” Travis says. I smile.

Zoe catches the nuance in his comment and starts to giggle. “Of course you would know Travis. You’re the only one here who’s seen her naked.” She says with a sly grin. Travis blushes and Trent looks at her in surprise. “Well, it’s true!” she says defending her candid comment. 

“Zoe, you’ve been hanging around Leilani too much. She doesn’t have a filter either.” I tease her, causing Travis to laugh. 

“Isn’t that the truth!” Travis says with a grin. 

I can see Tina smiling in the corner of my eye. “Can I join your group at lunch time? You always seem to be having fun in that corner.”

“More the merrier!” I grin. “But you’ll have to sit beside Travis. Cassandra and Leilani always sit on either side of me. It’s about as possessive as they ever get.” I say with a smile. 

“I don’t know.” Tina looks pensive. “I can’t seem to get more two desks close to you in class either.” 

“What, you we’re just behind me to the left today.” I tease her. 

“I can’t reach you easily from that angle.” She pouts

“You definitely have another puppy.” Travis says to me softly and smiles. 

“I think you’re right.” I smile back and look at Tina who’s wondering what we’re on about. I give her a wink and she blushes. 

Tom is watching the interaction and has this puzzled look on his face. “I’ve seen Rose do that before… how?” 

“Well, when you’re being such an idiot.” Tina slaps her brother’s shoulder. “You’d notice that Rose is a perpetual flirt and is irresistibly charming.” 

“Ow!” he says rubbing his shoulder. “What, I don’t see many guys follow her around, just all you girls!” he says grumbling. 

“Travis is the only boy who’s managed to win my heart.” I say sweetly and causing my boyfriend to smile.

“Besides, girls are way more fun to flirt with.” I say teasingly - causing both Tina and Zoe to blush. 

Trent looks at his girlfriend questioningly. “What?!” Zoe says in her defense. “You can’t tell me you haven’t felt it too!?” 

Trent starts to blush “Well…” 

“It was not my intention to turn you on with the back rub, it was just to apply the burn cream.” I say matter of fact causing everyone to laugh and Trent to turn as red as the sunburn he had that day. 

“Okay, you’ve made your point.” He says bashfully. 

“I still love you.” Zoe says sweetly. 

“I love you too.” Trent replies and they kiss. 

“I’m going to vote you two as the cutest couple for the Harvest Dance.” I say to them smiling. 

“No way.” Tina says. “You and Cassandra are the most adorable couple I’ve seen yet.” 

“I thought the dance couple had to be heterosexual.” I say with a mild frown.

“I think it’s time to challenge that rule.” Tina says with a cunning smile. 

“I do love the way you think darlin’.” I smile. 

“I still want that dance.” Travis says calmly. 

“Oh, we will have more than one together my love.” I say to him, caressing his cheek. 

He lets go a deep breath and smiles. “You are so wonderful.” 

“Why don’t you two go to the dance together?” Says Tom. “You are obviously very much in love with one another.” 

“Well, someone has to bring our girlfriend Leilani to the dance.” Travis says. “And Cassandra’s only has eyes for Rose.” 

“Our girlfriend?” Tom looks confused. “As in you are both dating Leilani.” 

“Well, it started off as I was their girlfriend.” I comment. “But now I think we’re pretty much all equal in where the relationship is going. Though I honestly think her libido is way higher than mine!”

“I still love you more.” Travis says. 

“I love you more too, but she’s got bigger boobs.” I retort. 

“For now, yours are more sensitive.” Travis teases back. 

“Who’s got the nicer ass?” I tease him back. 

“I’m not answering that one..” He blushes. 

“And you say I don’t have a filter!” Zoe complains from the back and we all start laughing. 

“Are you people always like this?” Tom says in surprise. 

“Why do you think I want to sit with them at lunch?” Tina winks and we all laugh again. 

We’re soon pulling into town and we happily tease each other with poor Tom stuck not knowing what to say. 

“I’m going to drop you off first honey.” Travis says sadly. Not wanting our time together to end. 

“Okay.” I say with a sad smile. 

We pull up onto my street, and I get out of the van, walk around to Travis’s side and put my bag down as I give him a long loving good night kiss. I’m so distracted that I don’t notice the back passenger door slide open. 

“Good night.” I say to Travis sweetly. 

“Good night.” He has this dreamy smile and lets out a sigh. 

“Rose?” I hear Tina say from the back seat. 

I turn and she pretty much leaps into my arms. I take a half step back as I catch her, putting my arms around her as she wraps her legs around my waist. I give her a look of surprise. 

“I just wanted to try something.” She says in a sultry tone. I think my kissing Travis turned her on. 

Before I can reply she locks her lips on mine, and it’s not long before we’re giving each other a deep passionate kiss. I slowly walk back to the van and plunk her butt back on the corner of the seat. This seems to remind her that we’re not alone and she releases her embrace and looks at me with a dreamy smile. Putting her feet down, but she still has her arms around my neck. 

“Okay, your girlfriends are right, your kisses are amazing.” She purrs. “Can I be your girlfriend too?”

“Sure.” I say softly. “But…” I rub my nose playfully against hers and she giggles. “I need to talk the others before this goes any further, okay?” 

She bites her lower lip shyly and nods.

“Now, I gotta go.” I say, looking lovingly in her eyes. 

“Okay.” She pouts. 

I give her one last kiss and she lets go of me, settling back in her seat. I wait till she’s fully settled, and pull the door closed. She waves to me through the window. I pick up my bag and take a step back as Travis drives off. 


	17. Evening Conversation

I turn around and notice that Leilani’s bedroom window light is on. I think this is a time I need to talk to her in person. 

I walk over to her house and knock on the door, I open it and say hello. I hear Leilani’s parents answer from the living room. I walk in, and close the door, putting my bag down and take off my shoes. 

“Rose!” Leilani calls from the top of the stairs. “Can we talk?”

“That’s why I’m here love.” I say to her and start going up the stairs. 

As I reach the top of the stairs, Leilani takes my hand and drags me into her room, she pushes me forward, nearly slamming the door behind her. She’s leaning against the door and she has this look bordering between confusion and anger. 

“I know it’s getting dark outside, but was that Tina that just jumped into your arms and gave your that passionate kiss!?” She looks on the verge of tears. 

I take a deep breath. “It was.” I reply honestly. “She wants to be my girlfriend, and I want to know if it’s okay before our relationship goes any further?” 

“You… you’re asking me for my permission? You’re not just telling me it’s going to happen?” Leilani looks at me confused. 

“I love you Leilani, I don’t want to hurt you. If you object, I’ll tell Tina no.” I say honestly. 

She comes running into my arms and hugs me tight. I put my arms around her and we just hold each other for awhile. 

“Thank you.” She says. She lets me go and still holds onto my waist. “It’s so nice to hear that how I feel matters to you that much.” She says with a deep breath. “Tina knows what she’s getting into?” I nod “if she’s okay to share, then I’m okay that you’re dating.” 

“Thank you my darling. Your happiness means a lot to me. It always has, and it always will.” I say softly. 

“Why do you think I won’t let you go?” She gives me a coy smile, and we kiss softly. 

“Now, one last condition….” She starts. 

“I need Cassandra’s permission next before it’s official.” I finish for her. 

“Seeing as Travis already knows, yes.” She says firmly. 

“You want to hear from her tonight, or wait till tomorrow?” I ask her. 

“Tonight if she’s still up.” Leilani says. 

There’s a knock on the door. “Leilani?” Her mom sounds concerned. 

“It’s open mama.” Leilani says. 

Her mother opens the door. “Is everything okay honey?” she says in a worried tone. 

Leilani turns, letting go of me. “Everything is fine mama, Rose just had something important to ask.” 

“You sounded upset a moment ago.” She frowns. “Couldn’t this have waited till morning?”

“Leilani saw something as I came home and we needed to talk about it.” I say calmly. 

“Did she see you kiss someone else again?” her mother puts her hands on her hips.

I blush. “Umm.. Maybe?” 

“Girl, how much of Willow Creek High are you going to end up dating by the end of the year?!” she says in a motherly tone. 

“One girl less now that Zoe’s dating Trent?” I offer as the only definite answer. 

She goes to say something and just merely shakes her head and smiles. “You are something else. How you manage to win all those hearts without breaking any more than Monique’s is beyond me.” 

“Monique wasn’t willing to share, not our fault she wanted to be selfish.” Leilani replies.

“Now Leilani. Rose is not your typical girlfriend!” her mother frowns at her comment.

“No, she is so much more.” Leilani says in a sultry tone giving me a seductive smile. 

“You behave now daughter of mine.” Her mother warns her. 

“Sorry mama.” Leilani looks down. 

“Leave it to a varsity redhead to be a modern-day female Archie Andrews and have all the girls going after them.” She looks at me. “That’s what you are you know!” 

“The Goths have made a similar comment.” I reply blushing slightly. 

“Now I’m not your mother young lady, but you really should be focusing on only one relationship.” Her mother looks at me. 

“I know, it’s just that..” I start, trying to find the words. 

“The girls chase after you, and who are you to say no to a pretty face, hmmm? You really need to learn some self control girl, before you get one them pregnant.” She says in her motherly tone. 

“I know, so far I’ve been playing safe. Cassandra and Tina aren’t sexual relationships, I’m not sure how far they’ll go this year.” I say in my defense. 

“Just, be careful. I know you and Leilani want children some day, just don’t go and ruin your future together with someone else, okay?” Her mom’s tone carry a hint of worry. 

“I won’t.” I reply as Leilani puts her arm around my waist. 

“You told my mom that we wanted to have children some day?” my girlfriend says mildly surprised. 

“I was comparing my relationship with you to Monique when she said she didn’t want children.” I reply. 

“Which I’m okay with, I know you love each other deeply.” Leilani hugs me tight and does a little happy squee. “Just not till after graduation.” 

“Yes mama.” We answer together. 

“That’s the second time you’ve called me ‘mama’ Rose.” She teases me, and I blush. “I don’t mind child.” She turns as she leaves the bedroom. “You are likely to be my daughter someday, I’ll think of it as practice.” She smiles and winks. “Now no funny stuff you two.” 

We both shake our heads and she closes the door behind her. 

“Have I said how much I love you?” Leilani turns and faces me. 

“I still like to hear it.” I say teasingly. 

“How about I show you instead?” She pulls me close and kisses me deeply. 

We kiss for awhile before I manage to break free. “Leilani, your mom said no funny stuff and we still need to talk to Cass.” 

“Fine!” Leilani pouts. “Take all my fun away.” 

“You are adorable.” I give her another kiss and dance away from her as she tries to reach to pull me closer. “Tsk tsk, behave now..” I say teasingly. 

“You can be such a tease.” Leilanis retorts. 

I go over to Leilani’s computer and bring up her chat program. I send my other girlfriend a ping, stating: _It’s Rose and we’d like to have a video chat together._

It takes a few minutes and the video call request comes through, and Leilani leans over my shoulder to hit the accept button. 

Cassandra’s face comes into view, the room is dark and the laptop screen lights up only her face, the rest of the room dims to darkness. “OMG This webcam is amazing!” she says all excitedly. “Sorry, it took me minute to figure out how to do a video call, it’s different than my phone or tablet.”

“That’s okay my love, how was the game tonight?” I ask her. 

“I was about to ask you the same, Chris keeps hitting on Leilani’s character, I think we need to have a talk with him tomorrow.” Cassandra replies. “What are you doing at Leilani’s place?”

“Well, we had to have a conversation…” I start. 

“I wasn’t the only one being hit on tonight.” Leilani finishes for me. 

“What’s she talking about Rose?” Cass looks confused. 

“Tina’s getting more affectionate. She asked to be my girlfriend tonight.” I get straight to the point. 

“You wouldn’t believe the kiss goodnight she gave our girlfriend!” Leilani says astonished.

“Oh really?” Cassandra adjusts her glasses

“If it bothers you dear, I can say no.” I say in a worried tone. 

“Tina’s nearly as much of a knockout as you are, I don’t think you two are being fair taking the two hottest soccer players out of the dating pool.” Cassandra teases me. 

“So…” I’m trying to gauge her response. 

“When Tina admitted her crush for you yesterday, I didn’t object then, I’m not about to say ‘no’ now my love.” Cass says. “So long as she knows what she’s getting into.” 

“Considering I don’t know when we’d actually be able to date after my move, I doubt her and I will be going out very often.” I reply. “You two and Travis are very important to me. You three come first.” 

“I just hope she realizes that.” Cassandra says slightly worried. “So, how was the game?” 

“The boys won against Twinbrooks 3-2, it was a tight game.” I say with a smile. 

“So, who’s their new star forward, and did you have to take care of a slight jealousy issue?” Cassandra’s got that ‘I have a hunch’ look on her face. 

“Yes, Brad is their new star forward, and Yasmin nearly leapt happily into my arms to greet me.” Cass gets this knowing smile on her face. “And yes, I had to lecture him about keeping his mind on the game and stop taking a fit soon as someone so much as looks at his girlfriend.” I say in exasperation. 

“You are the only one that I know of that can talk to him like that - and get away with it.” Cassandra grins. 

“That’s what Yasmin said.” I smile 

“It’s cause she’s not afraid of him.” Leilani answers behind me. 

“And that’s what Tina said too.” I grin. Cassandra merely shakes her head and smiles. 

“So what else happened tonight? You’re home pretty late.” Cassandra inquires.

“Trent suggested we celebrate their victory.” I reply “There were only 8 of us: Travis, Tina, Tom, Trent, Zoe, Chloe, Chuck, and myself… oh, and Chuck’s parents, as Travis didn’t have room to bring everyone home.”  
“Who’s Tom?” Cassandra asks. 

“Tina’s older brother, he’s a Senior and their lead goalie.” I give a grim smile. 

“With that look on your face, I take it you and Tom don’t get along.” Cassandra frowns. 

“Well, he’s a bit of a loud mouth prick and he has a temper…” The annoyance in my voice growing.

I can feel Leilani straighten up from leaning against my shoulder as she feels my mood change. 

“Rose…” Cassandra starts getting concerned.

“What is it my love?” I try to act as if nothings wrong. 

“What did you do Rose?” Cassandra probes even more concerned. I really suck at hiding things from my girlfriend. 

“Nothing…” I try to pass if off. “So, about Chris hitting on Leilani…” 

“Rose!” Cassandra gives me that look, I know I’m not going to hear the end of it till I tell her.

I take a deep breath. “I may have… well.. Beat him up.. A little.” I say hesitantly. 

Leilani smacks my shoulder. “Bad Rose, you said you were done fighting!” 

“He started it!” I say in my defense.” 

Cassandra gives me that look when she doesn’t believe me. 

“It all started out with him challenging me to a stand-up tug-of-war. Kind of like arm wrestling, but with your body and not just your arms.” I start with my story. 

“And he couldn’t move you.” Cassandra probes me for more. 

“No one can move Rose when she’s anchored herself.” Leilani grins. 

“No, so then he challenged me to show him what I got.” I continue. 

“You didn’t just tug him off his feet did you?” Cassandra has a feeling where this is going. 

“No, I tossed him over my shoulder and pinned him to the ground.” I finish. 

“And being the prideful male that he is, he got angry at being beaten by a girl.” 

“He tried to hit me!” I snap angrily and both of my girlfriends back away from me. I take a deep breath. “Sorry.” 

“I take it by your comment that he didn’t succeed.” Cassandra says, her hand to her chest as she tries to calm herself down. I normally keep my temper under control, and I just caught both of my girlfriends off-guard with my outburst.

“No, I pined him against the van and probably would have really hurt him if Tina hadn’t asked me to stop, I’ve never lost my temper so bad since I left the city!” The guilt clear in my voice. “To get him away from me I tossed him into the grass.” 

“How far was the grass Rose?” Leilani says almost in my ear. 

“Two meters, give or take.” I say putting my head down in shame. 

“You beat up her brother and Tina still wants to date you?” Leilani says now surprised. 

“Apparently Tom has a big mouth and a short temper.” I grumble. 

“But not as short and only half as strong as yours.” Cassandra finishes for me.

“I don’t like hurting people!” I say in a sad tone. “I thought I had my anger under control, my sensei is going to be so disappointed that I failed him once again.” 

“Your sensei?” Cassandra asks now curious. “You’ve never said anything…” 

“I usually don’t tell people I spent almost 3 years in Martial Arts and nearly became a Black Belt.” I say quietly. “It’s usually led to people challenging me to see just how tough I am.” 

“It’s why your reflexes are so fine tuned.” Leilani says in realization. 

“When you said that you had built up strength and started fighting back…” Cassandra starts.. 

“It’s because I had already started martial arts and learned how to effectively and quickly hurt my opponent - with the least amount of force possible.” I finish for her. 

“Except when you lost your temper.” Leilani adds in. 

I take a deep breath and look at both of them. “Yes.” We’re quiet for a bit. “Look, I should probably head home and mediate, my body and mind are still out of balance, and it’s going to take me a bit to get it all back under control.” 

Leilani squeeze my shoulders. “Is there anything we can do do help?” 

I shake my head. “Meditation is something I need to do on my own. I need to sit in quiet and and bring myself back in balance. I can’t let my inner demon win, I must find peace if I am to truly be myself again.” 

“That sounds so deep.” Cassandra says in wonder. 

“Let us know if you need anything.” Leilani adds, I can hear the worry in her voice. 

“I will. Love you.” I say to Cassandra. 

“Love you too.” She blows me a kiss before signing off. 

“You sure you want to be alone?” Leilani asks worried. She’s never seen me snap like that before. 

“I’ll be fine, honest.” I put my hand up and caress her cheek. 

She sighs and melts to my touch. “Okay, but if you can’t sleep, come back to me.” Her tone is firm. 

“I will dearest, but please, try to sleep. I’ll be alright.” I reassure her. 

She looks into my eyes, searching for anything I might be hiding, and then relaxes. “Okay, just don’t scare me like that again.” 

“I won’t” I say softly. 

We kiss for a few moments and it helps me relax from my recent outburst. The calming effect that Leilani has on me is amazing.

“Better.” She smiles as we finally break our kiss. “Goodnight my love.” 

“Goodnight.” I smile and give her one last soft kiss before heading downstairs. 

Her mother is waiting at the foot of the stairs. “Are you going to be okay?” She can somehow sense a change in the mood, maybe she was listening nearby, I don’t know how well the sound travels in this house yet. 

“I’ll be okay” I smile 

She puts her arms out and I give her a hug. 

“You let us know if you need anything.” She says and I nod.

“Thank you.”

I head home, get undressed and pull out my pajama set. It’s the closest thing to my Dobok that I have right now. I dig out my incense burner that I had already packed, and light a stick. I then pull out my meditation mat from the closet. I roll the mat out and sit in a lotus position. Hands on my knees and go through the steps my sensei taught me to find my chi, to find my balance. I go through the song he taught me, as I let my mind and body drift into alignment. 

I lost track of time, but when I finally finish, the incense is long since burned down, and my knees complain as I unfold them. I feel better. I feel more at peace. Most of all I feel tired.   
I slip into bed and hope that tomorrow ends up better after dinner did.


	18. Freaky Friday

I wake up to a song about Everywhere, and listen to it for a minute or two before turning off my alarm. I stretch, feeling so much better today than I did yesterday.

To keep my body and mind in focus, I spend my morning exercise routine doing Tai Chi. My sensei used to call it meditation in motion, it helps limber up the joints and gives one insight on their body. I feel so much better, and get dressed for work.

Even at this hour of the morning, I can tell it's going to be a hot day, and the weather app says tomorrow's supposed to be the same. Looking forward to a day for some beach fun! 

I get to work early and take out my yo-yo as I wait for Beth and Lisa to arrive. Beth arrives first, but puts up her finger as she dashes into the bakery. Lisa gets to the café as I'm putting the yo-yo away, Beth hasn't come back, and I greet her with a quick hug.

"How did our boys do against Twinbrooks yesterday?" Lisa asks as she steps back. 

"It was a hard game, the boys aren't quite as coordinated as the girls and I are, but they have good potential. With Brad on the team they may even have a shot at the cup this year." I smile.

"Brad?" Lisa looks thoughtful. "Brad Allens? Big black guy, top runner and high jumper in track and field?" 

"Yep, he's pretty good at soccer too." I smile. "How do you know him?"

"My sister Karen is in his class, she talks about how he's dating the hottest dark-skinned blond in school. I swear, if it weren't for Brit, she'd hit on every girl in sight!" Lisa grins. 

"You're Karen's big sister!?" Wow. This is a small town!" I exclaim and Lisa giggles. "I have to admit Karen's got good tastes."

"You're not thinking of hitting on Yasmin are you? I hear Brad's got a bit of a jealous streak to him, like Monique. 

"Tell me about it!" I roll my eyes. "Yasmin keeps hitting on me, it's only a matter of time before I can't keep his temper under control."

"Yasmin's hitting on you?" Lisa quirks an eyebrow. 

"She's Monique's best friend, and after I helped her through a bad fight with Brad she's seen me as an improvement on her boyfriend." I say mildly annoyed.

Lisa chuckles. "I swear, you have half the school trying to date you." 

I don't notice Beth behind me as we continue to chat. "Tell me about it! I already have a new girlfriend to content with as it is!"

"New girlfriend?" Beth says behind me and I turn around. "With you moving slow with Cassandra, I figured you were done sleeping around with girls." I give her a frown. "Here hold this." She hands me a stack of trays. 

"Tina and I aren't sleeping together, she asked me last night to be her girlfriend." I correct my sister.

"Tina? Tina Sommers, the cute muscular brunette that's your right forward? The one giving you a loving glance in that soccer picture? Wow, I didn't think you two would start dating so fast!" Beth turns and unlocks the door. 

"Yes, you called it." I rolled my eyes. "She hit on me a lot yesterday, and gave me a passionate goodnight kiss. I have a feeling she might be ready for something more than Cassandra is, but I have no idea when we'd have time to go out."

Beth shakes her head as she lets us in. "You are incorrigible." Lisa giggles in agreement. 

"I don't do it on purpose!" I say in my defense, bringing the trays in. "My friends say half the school would love to have a shot at dating me, I'm not used to all this positive attention!"

Beth points to the counter as to where to put the trays. "You're the new girl in town, you're attractive, affectionate and your clothing style is like none here have seen. You are like an exotic fruit that people want to sample." 

I put the trays down. "I'm not sure I'm ready for what that implies." I say in a worried look.

"Rose, you don't have to go out and please everyone who finds you attractive." Beth says in a motherly tone. "Are you interested in any other boy beside Travis?" I shake my head. "Do you really need more girlfriends?" I look thoughtful. "Rose?...."

"What?! I can't help it when a pretty girl comes on to me!" I try to defend my actions. "Though I did manage to say 'no' to Yasmin, I really don't need her jealous boyfriend rearing up every time she spends more than five minutes with me."

Beth puts her hand on my shoulder. "Well, that's a start, keep working on saying no to pretty little things that can't keep their hands off that muscular frame of yours." 

"It's that bad?" Lisa asks disbelievingly.

"Ask your sister how many queer and bi girls there are in school, and you'll see what I have to deal with." I say heading into the office to tuck my backpack out of the way.

"And that's those who don't know what she has between her legs, I'm sure that is what prompted Tina to make her move." Beth says to Lisa. "Rose has more to offer than other girls."

"You're lucky I told Lisa I'm trans, or I'd be annoyed with you right now." I call out from the office and I hear them both giggle. Yeah, that comment wasn't threatening, I can't blame them for finding that funny. 

I get my apron and hat on, and Lisa is starting up the machines as Beth is sorting out the bakery trays into the display. I head to the door, grabbing the sandwich board and put it outside - taking a moment to touch up some of the items and smudges. I greet Mr. Kim as he approaches.

"Coffee ready yet Rose?" He asks. 

"Give us a few minutes." I smile to him and he nods.

"I'll pop into the bakery and I'll be around for one of your specialty coffees." He smiles at me. I nod to him and return to finishing the board before heading into the café. 

In the short time I've worked at the café, I've already developed a customer base who will come in first thing in the morning for one of my artisan coffees.

It's super busy today. Beth has little to no time in the office as the customers are coming in at a steady stream. Beth even manages to get Liberty to come in early. Once she comes in I'm able to slip away and say goodbye to everyone as I head across the street to grab my bike.

My phone rings as I'm putting my bike lock away, and I'm surprised to see a call from Diane. 

"Dee my Darlin'!" I say happily as I pick up the call.

"I always love it when you call me that." Dee's voice is soft and sensual on the line.

I look both ways as I walk my bike across the street, and continue to walk my bike as I talk to my girlfriend.

"What do I owe the pleasure of you calling me this mornin'?" I say with a smile, not hiding my accent. 

"I just wanted to hear your voice." She says timidly. "I had a dream about you last night, and was disappointed when I woke up to an empty bed." I can hear the pout in her tone.

"I miss you too." I say softly. "It's hard waking up in the morning alone." I say in agreement. 

"We've not seen you much online this week." Dee says in a worried tone. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, just been busy with Soccer. My game with Newcrest Wednesday night, then the boys went against Twinbrooks yesterday..." 

"Boys game? Your boyfriend doesn't play soccer, does he?" Dee asks.

I chuckle. "No, I promised one of the team that I'd support his games as he always comes to mine." I reply with a smile. 

"You're not working on an new boyfriend are you?" Diane asks mildly concerned as to who else she has to compete with.

"Not another boyfriend no darlin', my friend Trent is dating my good friend Zoe. I can have platonic relationships..." I say defensively. 

"Right, like how you and your soccer wingman aren't dating." Dee says sarcastically.

"Look, we only made that official last night. I have no idea where my relationship with Tina is going to go - or even if we'd have time together outside of school once I move on Sunday." 

"Like me, she's hoping for some alone time with that package that you have." Dee says suggestively.

"You are insatiable." I tease back. 

"After having been loved by you, how can I be satisfied by anything else?" she purrs. "Tony bought a strap-on, but it just doesn't feel the same. He just doesn't know how to make love to a woman like you do...." She says seductively.

"And to think that I was drunk and hung over - imagine what I can do when we're sober?" I tease her. 

"You horrible tease, you're getting me all horny and I won't see you for a couple of months." She says in a sultry tone.

"Long distance relationships are hard." I say with a long drawn-out sad breath. 

"I still love you." She says sweetly.

"I love you too." I say softly.

"I wonder where our relationship would be if you hadn't left for Willow Creek?" she says wistfully.

"Well, you never would have started dating Tony." I tease her. "While Sam was pushing for something more this summer, when I gave him what he wanted, it was more than he could handle." 

"Is that why he was acting so strange?" Dee asks. "He's stuck in wanting something more, but afraid of the commitment?"

"Yeah, that's pretty much it." I reply. 

"So, my pushing for something more would have given me more of that beautiful body of yours?" She's biting her finger again, I can tell by the change in her tone, even of the thought of it is waking my lower region.

"Like I said last weekend darlin', it's hard to say 'no' to those beautiful blue eyes of yours." 

She sighs and I can hear her flump down in her bed. "Why did you have to leave me?"

"I'm coming back." I say softly. "Dave thought I would break out of my shell and grow as a person here... and he was right."

"I think you've blossomed faster than he expected." Dee giggles.

"Yeah, he didn't expect his little sister to suddenly become the exotic fruit of Willow Creek that everyone wants a taste of." I say with a grim smile. "I'm still getting used to how everyone finds me so attractive." 

"Rose, you are as gorgeous as your name. That last month of HRT before you left here, you suddenly bloomed into womanhood, you went from kind of cute to drop dead hot stuff." Diane says with a smile.

I blush on the line, and need to focus on my bike for a moment. 

"You are so cute when you blush, have I told you that?" Dee teases me.

I smile, I can feel my dimples deepen. "Dave told me that - if someone said that to me - they were a keeper." 

"Well, I am, aren't I?" she says seductively.

"You definitely are my love." I smile "I miss you so much." 

"I miss you too." She says with a long drawn out sigh. "Look lover, I need to get ready for class. I'm glad I got to talk to you this morning."

"I'm glad you called." I say with a smile. "Talk to you soon." 

"Okay." She says shyly. "Love you."

"Love you more." 

I hear a giggle before Diane cuts the connection and I let out a deep sigh. Why is it I suddenly love that woman so much? Almost as deeply as I care about Leilani. We only shared one night, but our intimate time together felt so natural, like we were meant to be together. _Absense makes the heart grow fonder_... maybe that's it.

I hop on one peddle, and kick off with my other foot, using my bike as a scooter, it's almost not worth biking at this point, I'm more than halfway home. 

If what I feel for Dee is so intense, what will it be like with Cassandra when we finally take our relationship to the next level? She already feels like the other part of my soul, and that's just with dating. What will it be like once we become intimate?

And then there's Tina. Will we ever have time together? I guess I'll just have to wait and see. Like with Leilani, I've so far let Tina be the one to guide where our relationship will go. I let her make the first move as to how far we've come and it's worked so far, so I'll leave it to her to decide where I relationship goes from here. 

I no sooner have my bike stowed away that I encounter Leilani as I come out of my shed.

"Good morning my love, you're up early." say with a smile. 

Leilani doesn't say anything, she merely gives me a seductive smile and wraps her arms around me. She pulls my head down and gives me one of the best good morning kisses we've shared yet.

"Good morning." She says breathlessly once we've broken from our embrace. "I couldn't wait for you this morning. I hope you don't mind." 

I brush her hair aside. "Why would I ever mind spending more time with you?" I say softly.

Leilani's smile widens. "I was hoping you would say that." She takes my hand and guides me towards my house. I raise my eyebrow and glance over to her house, noticing the kitchen light is off. 

"Where are your folks?" Noticing that their car is also missing.

"Dad had an emergency meeting with the school district, and mom decided to join him to get some extra shopping done." Leilani says looking over her shoulder. 

"Ah. That's very... convenient... for us." I say with a smile, knowing that Leilani is over for some morning fun - which we have plenty of time for with over an hour and a half before class.

"So, can we have some fun before our shower?" she asks seductively as I unlock the door.

"We sure can." I say with a grin, opening the door.

No sooner is the door open that Leilani has needfully kissing me. I can smell her excitement as we kiss passionately. I kick the door closed and we make our way to the bedroom, undressing one another as we go. The only stitch of clothing we have left is our panties, which Leilani sheds as she pushes me back on the bed. 

I'm already half hard as she peels back my underwear, and my hardening member springs forward. Her eyes light up in delight, as if she's just found a surprise gift. She reaches forward, stroking it for a moment, with a look of hunger on her face.

She gives me a coy smile, licking the tip that is now fully hard, before turning around and lowering her sex to my face. I guess breakfast will have to wait, I smile as I gladly stick my tongue out and taste her honey sweet juices. She gasps at the contact and humps my face for a moment before returning the favor and gobbles my hard-on eagerly. 

We're both so turned on about our unexpected heated exchange that it doesn't take long for either of us to get off. I've come to read her body language and know just when to capture her clit and hum to bring her to a strong release. Her moans get me off and we both work each other to a long satisfying orgasm.

We lay there for a few moments, breathing heavily, recovering from our love making. 

"I really love it when you hum on my clit." She breathes happily, stroking my leg. "I can never get myself off as hard as you do." She says dreamily.

She turns around and we kiss, our juices mixing on our tongues and getting us aroused for something more. Between her rubbing against me, our nipples moving against each other, and our passionate kissing, it doesn't take long for my next erection to spring back up.

I roll us over and gently penetrate her. Knowing that she's now on the pill and I can get off where she loves it most. She moans and digs her fingers into my shoulder as I slowly slide inside of her. I notice that she's never clawed me, she squeezes and lets go, and the most pain she's ever cause was her nails digging into me when I broke her cherry.

Our love making this morning is long, slow and sensual. Having already gotten off once, I'm able to go longer before my next orgasm. We slowly work each other up to a powerful orgasm and freeze as our passions peak, I empty a large load, and she coos at the feeling.

"Don't stop!" she suddenly gasps as I can feel her next orgasm building, and I happily comply, going at her harder and stronger. He gasps and moans and she is everything but quiet this morning as her cries for passion fill the room. I've lost count of her orgasms as her vagina is constantly constricting and pulling me in deeper. The feeling is so intense, I've never been with a girl with so much muscle control as she has, and it brings me over the brink and I cum again. She suddenly lets out a loud cry of passion - as if that's what she's been working towards. I slump down on top of her. Breathing heavy. It's possibly one of the most intense love making sessions we've had yet. We're both drenched in sweat. 


	19. Friday Morning

"Wow, that was amazing, do you have enough energy for more?" says a voice by the door. 

Leilani gasps in surprise and holds me close, and I smile as I recognized the voice.

"Good morning Travis, did you enjoy the show?" I say looking to right towards my bedroom door.

"The front door was unlocked." He explains as he walks forward taking off his shirt. "I only caught the tail end of it, but you two were having so much fun, I didn't want to interrupt."

I watch him as he slowly gets undressed. His body is definitely looking a hell of a lot sexier now than when we first met. I pat the bed as I lick my lips watching him take off his underwear. 

"She's all yours Travis." Leilani says under me. "After what she just did, I can't move!"

We both giggle and I give her a long loving kiss as I roll off of her. I get on my hands and knees and reach out for Travis' hardening member. 

"Then I'm really going to enjoy this." Travis says seductively.

I kiss up his body, continuing to masturbate him till we're both kneeling on the bed and kissing passionately. 

"This morning is full of surprises." I purr, as I play with his hair and he kisses along my neck.

I can feel him leaving a love bite opposite to Leilani's. I'm going to have to wear something with a collar this morning. I think to myself as I lean back, giving him access to my charms. 

"This may be the last chance I get at some morning fun for awhile." He says as he kisses his way towards my nipples. He does his regular teasing, while he's a little more rough than Leilani, the anticipation he builds up in my body is intense.

"You've already gotten off this morning and yet your body is still looking for more." He teases me, making circles around my nipple, but not touching it. 

"That feels so good!" I sigh and entangle my fingers in his hair, trying to move his head to give me release.

"You want more?" he says, resisting. 

"Yes!" I moan. I can feel Leilani's hand caress my leg and it's increasing my need for release.

Travis finally captures my nipple and sucks gently as he tongues the tip. I love it so much when he does that, and little fireworks go off behind my closed eyes as he triggers my orgasm. I let go a long moan of release as the feeling washes over me. 

I feel him push me down further, and I comply, Leilani's moved so I don't lay on her legs as I was expecting. I'm still all sweaty, and I can feel him push against my hole with little resistance. I feel Leilani's hand move down my body and capture my hardening cock as I feel Travis penetrate my hole. I gasp at the sudden additional feeling and moan loudly as I feel my boyfriend slowly sink in deeper.

He's not gotten off yet, and so he lets out his first load about half way in. I gasp and coo, feeling his warmth fill my backside. It feels so good when he fills me up, and his first load of the morning is always so much! 

Travis pulls me back so that he's off the bed. My butt is hanging off the edge, and he holds my legs as he starts doubling the speed and depth of his strokes. Oh... Wow! It never ceases to amaze me how good it feels when it does this!

Leilani takes the opportunity to slide forward and starts to suck me off as Travis makes love to me. It's almost as good as our last threesome and it doesn't take long for my orgasm to hit. It seems to hit me twice, first my hard-on explodes in Leilani's mouth, and then I get that tingling sensation of what Travis is doing to my backside. Before these have hit me together, feeling the cascade effect of one starting as the other ends is almost too much and I cry out in pleasure as my body starts to shake with the force of my release. 

This triggers Travis and he empties is second load as deep as he can this time and it triggers a third as I let out a long moan of pleasure.

Travis legs go of my legs and Leilani moves out of the way as he lays on top of me and we trade soft kisses as we recover from our love making. 

After a few moments I look up at Travis lovingly, caressing his hair. "Okay, I now know what Leilani means by not being able to move."

Leilani giggles and gives my breast a kiss. I move my head to the side and kiss her lovingly. 

"Thank you, both of you. I wasn't expecting something so amazing this morning, but I definitely enjoyed it." I smile dreamily. I give Leilani one more kiss and then look up and kiss Travis.

"I'm just glad I was able to get out early this morning, my mother originally argued." He chuckles. "I'm pretty sure she knew what I was heading out for." 

"You're such a bad boy." I tease him.

"Only cause you love it." He says and giving me another kiss. "Do we have time for a shower before breakfast?" 

I look at my watch. "Yes, we do." I smile "After what we just did, I would insist on one anyway."

Travis gets off of me and holds his hand out to help me get up. I pull myself up as he tugs. I sort of teeter forward and he catches me before I can get my legs to respond. 

"Ooof.. That took a lot out of me!" I say as I finally get my feet to respond.

"What about me?" Leilani says teasingly, still laying on the bed. 

"You, my fair lady, are coming with us." I say causing her to give me a quizzical look.

I reach down and pick her up. She squeals and giggles as I scoop her up in my arms. She wraps her arms around my neck and gives me a loving kiss. 

"You are so strong, I always feel so safe in your arms." She leans against my shoulder and snuggles into me.

Leilani suddenly starts to giggle, squirm and kick her legs, it takes a bit of effort to keep from dropping her, I look over to our boyfriend who's tickling her feet. I give him a dirty look and he gives me a sheepish grin, shrugging his shoulders. 

"Sorry, I couldn't resist." He chuckles.

"Bad Travis!" Leilani says still giggling

"Lets get you washed up." I say, giving her forehead a kiss and carry her off to the bathroom. Travis' hand on my backside tells me he's not far behind.

Travis starts up the shower as I put Leilani down, she tests her legs to make sure that she can keep her balance. Travis steps in, she follows him. I close the shower door behind me as I join them. Travis is already busy soaping her up as she holds his neck, leaning her head against his shoulder. I start washing her back as she leans backwards to give our boyfriend more access to her body. Once she's all lathered, he spins the two of them around so that she's in the water spray and I start washing his back. Once she's rinsed off, Leilani starts soaping up his front. 

It's a sensual experience as we slowly roam our hands over one another getting each other cleaned up from our sweaty interlude. Not to be left undone, I can feel Travis leave me a love bite on my right shoulder as he rinses my body off. I moan as Leilani is also massaging my hardening cock to get it all clean - her favorite thing to do in the shower.

I reach behind me, and - sure enough - he's rock hard again, and we start another steamy bout in the shower with Travis entering me again while Leilani leans back to take me another time. Our hands continue to roam over each other as we sensually get ourselves off again. Only once this time, I'm having trouble enough trying to stand as it is!  
  


We clean each other's parts off before getting out of the shower.

We're sitting in the kitchen together, still in our towels, eating Blooming Roses and drinking milk. We're holding each other's hands, and quietly enjoying breakfast together.

"Thank you." I finally say at last. "I don't know when we'll get another morning together like this, so this means a lot to me." 

"It's why I came over." Travis says with a loving smile. "Though I was surprised that Leilani beat me to it this morning."

"I couldn't resist." Leilani says bashfully. She looks so adorable when she blushes. 

"I love you two so much. What you do to me. We'll have to find time together once I move." I say with a long sigh.

"Well, there's always Saturdays at the swimming hole." Travis says with a grin. "You have a bike, don't you Leilani?" 

"Is that how our future dates are going to go?" Leilani asks hesitantly.

"Draws the least amount of attention when we're cycling." I say giving her hand a squeeze. "Most people think we're just going out for a ride." 

"Well, we will be out for a ride, just won't always be on the bike." Travis says with a cheeky grin.

I give his hand a playful slap. "You're such a bad boy." 

"Hey, you started this." He says defensively.

I let go of his hand and lean my cheek my palm. "I did start this didn't I?" I give him a loving look. Leilani suddenly looks pensive. 

"Will Cassandra be joining us?" She gives me a curious glance.

"Not till Cassandra and I are sexually involved. She's younger than we are, I'm not going to push her towards being intimate, I'm going to wait till she says we're ready to take our relationship further." I say thoughtfully. 

Leilani tilts her head. "Mom was right, you're taking your relationship with her slowly.. Why?"

"My friendship with Cassandra is more important than anything my love." I reach out and caress her cheek. "Like you, I see Cassandra and I having a very long life together, and I will do anything I possibly can to make her happy." 

Leilani leans against my cheek. "You make me happy" she says and smiles.

Leilani's eyes suddenly open. "You want her to bear your child." 

"I do." I say softly.

"What about us?" She gives me a hurt look. "I thought you wanted us to have a family." 

"I do want us to have children Leilani, we are a family. The four of us."

Travis sits there quietly for a moment. "You're serious, aren't you?" 

"Travis my love, I am not going to abandon one of you to have a family with another. I want us to live together as a family and raise children together. The three of you are equally important to me, please don't make me choose who will be my life partner."

"Who do you intend to marry then?" Travis gets more serious. "You say I am the man of your dreams..." 

I look between my lovers, they are looking at me expectantly. "We have a year and a half before graduation to worry about that, lets not rush about who's getting married. Or who's having kids."

They both put their heads down. "You're right dear." They say together. 

I smile. "You are both so precious, know that - above anyone else - you both mean so much more to me."

They each take my hand and give it a kiss. My amazing lovers, what would I do without them? I look up at the clock. "Let's get dressed and go get our other girlfriend." I say as I push my chair back. 

"Cassandra is like a sister to me. I will never call her my girlfriend." Travis says in a cautionary tone.

"Noted my love." And they let got of my hands as I start off to the bedroom. 

"You know, I've never made love to a genetic girl before..." Leilani starts as she follows me.

"Leilani behave, don't try to push Cass into something she might not be ready for." I warn her. 

"Oh, I expect it'll happen eventually." Leilani says with a grin. I shake my head, my little nymph girlfriend is already planning on how to seduce her friend...

It takes a bit for Leilani to find all of her clothing, she finally recovers her underwear in the bedroom as Travis and I are getting dressed. She tosses my work clothing into the hamper as she quickly catches up to get her clothes on. I then send a message to Cassandra that we'll be driving by to pick her up. 

-= Cass =- I have a little brother that's beyond excited for a ride, is he allowed to tag along?

I smile, show the text to Travis and he nods. 

-= Rose =- Tell my padawan that he's tagging along.

-= Cass =- Keep that up, and he'll never let me call him anything else! 

I laugh at her comment and go grab my bag. I also grab my large art folio. It has the materials I want for tonight's project. We head out, and I get into the van beside Travis as Leilani runs over to her house to get her backpack. When she returns, I reach back and trigger the door, it slowly opens as she gets closer, allowing her to just slide in and slam it shut.

On the trip to the Goth residence, I notice that Travis is pensive. I'd ask him what he's thinking, but I already have an idea what it is. After everything we've been through, I never gave him a straight answer as to who I'd marry. I may never be his wife, and it's bothering him. I just hope it's not going to affect our relationship. 

We pull up to the Goth residence, and a very happy Alexander bounces down the stairs. As I get out of the van he gives me a huge hug before climbing into the van as Leilani opens the door for him.

Cassandra meets and with a loving kiss and holds me close in a embrace.

"I love it when you wear your silk shirt." She smiles at me as she still holds me by the neck. "You're even softer to hold."

Her expression changes and the lets go with her right arm, and opens my collar a little. Noting the love bites on each side of my collar bone. She gives me a sly smile. 

"So they both came over this morning for a last chance at shower fun I see." She teases me.

"How do you know that wasn't just one of them." I tease back. 

She puts her finger on the right hickey. "This one is Leilani's mark, when you sleep together she always leaves one here." _Beth's theory is correct it seems_.

"This one is bigger, but not as dark, that's got to be Travis, he's not aggressive as your girlfriend is." She says looking into my eyes.  
  


"I see." I say with a sly smile. "And what would you leave me?" I tease her.

"We'll have to wait and see?" she winks. 

We kiss again and Travis gives a light honk to remind us we're not alone. We break our embrace and giggle. Cassandra slides in beside Travis giving him a small peck on the cheek to thank him of the ride. Teasing him that he smells like strawberries. I smile as Leilani slides over to give me room to sit beside her, and I close the van door. She snuggles into me and we kiss as Travis pulls away.

Alexander starts on about this art project he's working on and we smile and listen to his lively description of the scene he's creating. After seeing my art, he wants to draw a scene of his playground, and he's been spending his recess and lunch breaks sketching kids as they play on the equipment. It's quite ambitious for someone his age, I look forward to see it when it's done. We drop him off at school and have a quick chat of when we'll go to the beach tomorrow. We agree to start before lunch, but we'll see what the others think.

We pull up beside Tina, who happily waves to us. I watch Tom walk off without so much as a wave. She stands out of the way as her father drives off while she waits for us to climb out of the van. Leilani gets out on Travis' side, and holds on to his arm as they come around to the front. I reach out with my right hand and Tina gladly takes in. I have Cassandra holding on to me, her arm around my left side. We walk into school as such, Leilani and Travis have their arms around each other, Cassandra and I have our arms around each other while I hold Tina's hand.

Tina's locker is beside Leilani's so we part ways with our girlfriends with soft kisses. Travis is quick to wrap his arm around me as the three of us go to our lockers. We're on our way to homeroom when Susan steps in front of us. 

"I'm kind of jealous." She says without even saying 'hello'.

"About what?" I ask quirking my eyebrow. 

"You roam about school with your boyfriend and girlfriends affectionately holding you and no one says anything about it." I go to say something. "Oh, I'm sure they whisper things behind your back. You **are** the talk of the school, everyone gossips about how many of them you actually sleep with."

"Who I sleep with is none of anyone else's business." I say with a frown. "It's why I don't broadcast it." 

Susan puts her hand on her hip and smiles. "You are such a mystery to people. Yet everyone wants to find out more about you. Don't worry, I haven't started any rumours, you're better than them." She blows me a kiss and joins her boyfriend as they walk off to the senior wing.

"What was that all about?" Travis says, the surprise in his voice evident.

"I was kind to her when she needed help the most, and this is her way of paying me back." I smile.

They take my hands and we walk off to class together.


	20. Friday at School & More

The school day starts off as most typical Fridays: Help Leilani through Literature class, help Cassandra with Social Studies, we're studying Geographic Influences this month, and both of my girlfriends are struggling with this module. The module focuses on how the nation's vast and diverse geography impacts local identity. I find it interesting as it's tying in one what our teacher plans on introducing to us in history once our projects are done. I have to remind myself that what I'll see in history is a precursor to what we're studying now, not the other way around. 

Speaking of history. Trent and I spend the class finalizing the essay that will go along with the artwork that I've been doing. I have Windenburg past and present. Ma tante had sent me some pictures last night, and I combed for some more on her social media page. The photos are aligned with drawings of what the original ruins would have looked like in medieval times.

"I have some bristol board, and other things tucked in an art folio in Travis' van, and we can work on it right after school." 

"Sounds like a great idea, mom wants to know if you can stay over for supper." Trent smiles.

"That would be great." I smile back. 

As we file out for lunch, Zoe is by Trent's locker and she gives him a hug and kiss as we approach. I wait for him to get his lunch, then grab mine. We chat about tomorrow as we walk into the cafeteria. We're all sitting together, taking up 4 tables now, as Tina, Amber and Chloe have now joined us.

"I'm glad you suggested I join you for lunch Tina, I love sitting with my boyfriend." Amber says cuddling up with Brent. 

Chris and Tim watch them, jealous that our club's D&D fanatic ended up with this hot athlete for a girlfriend. She even brought him a lunch, making sure that he's eating balanced meals.

We talk about tomorrow, and we get an overall agreement that we'll all hook up at the beach around 10am. This will give us time to swim for awhile before we invade the lunch cabana on the edge of the beach for something to eat. We excitedly talk about who's good at swimming, who's going to play beach volleyball, and such. 

Zoe comments that mine, Leilani's and Travis' lunches all look the same, and we look at each other and grin.

"No, you don't want to know what they were up to that Rose made them all lunch." Cassandra says as Zoe starts her next question. 

"Well, all three of them smell like Rose, and she's got a hickey on each side of her neck, so I have an idea." Zoe says in a teasing voice, leaning forward.

I close the top button of my blouse. "Bloody button keeps coming undone." I mumble and they all start to laugh and giggle. 

"I can imagine it's cause you're chest wasn't as big when you first bought that top." Leilani teases me.

"No, I was only an a-cup when I bought this in July." I reply. 

Wow, talk about catching up fast." Tina teases me, causing me to blush. "How much bigger are those going to get?" She says in a sultry voice.

"My endo figures I'll cap out with a C-cup by this summer." I reply, munching on my sandwich. 

"Which means getting new bras this winter, and maybe more this spring."

"Can we go lingerie shopping together?" Tina says continuing to tease me.

"I don't know, the last time I went lingerie shopping with a love interest, I ended up coming home with a balconette teddy that I only wore once so far..."

"You have lingerie that I haven't seen yet?" Leilani says with a pout. 

"Well, I haven't had the chance to wear it around you yet love." I reply to her with a wink.

"I take it Diane enjoyed watching you wear it." Cassandra says softly. "That's your girlfriend up in Britechester, right?" 

I blush. "Yes, I should have expected you to figure out it was Dee that got my to buy and wear it for her the night we slept together."

"What's it like making love to another transgender girl?" Leilani asks me. Zoe suddenly get really interested in the conversation. 

"Well, she has soft skin and sensitive breasts like mine." Leilani gives me a hungry look. "So, it's like making love to a girl up top, but making love to a man down below. Though she's not as big as Travis." He turns around in surprise and blushes as I give him a wink.

"But... how do you do it?" Zoe suddenly says, her curiosity getting the better of her. Trent gasps and nudges her. 

"Well there is always another hole to play with." I say teasingly. "Like when my boyfriend makes love to me, Dee really enjoyed being introduced to it." Zoe and Travis are now blushing at my blunt explanation.

"You're right, I love the conversations in this corner." Chloe giggles and has us all laughing. 

In the corner of my eye, I can see Monique and her friends a few tables over. She's clearly not happy with the intimacy I share with my friends. She looks like she's ready to get up and walk away but Yasmin is trying to calm her down. I feel a pang of sadness. I would still love to share my time with Monique, but she doesn't want to share in what I have here, she wants it for herself. Cassandra notices what I'm doing and nudges me.

"I know you still love her Rose, but you need to let Monique go." She whispers in my ear.

I turn to her, a tear in my eye.

"I love you for who you are, and will always love you as long as you let me." She says looking into my eyes. 

I give Cassandra a long loving kiss, and feel her love fill me as we hold each other. There is a resounding 'Awe' from the table, and a couple of whistles as our kiss lingers. When we finally break our kiss she leans against my shoulder and snuggles into me. Not to be left undone, Leilani snuggles into me on the other side. Tina has this look of longing, like she would love to join us in our intimate moment. I give her a sympathetic smile. I still don't know how or when we'll ever date, but she wants to be my girlfriend.

I glance up and Monique is rushing out of the cafeteria. I sigh, I wish I could do something to make her happy. Cassandra gives me a squeeze as a reminder to stop pining after my ex, and I give her a kiss on the forehead. 

"It's hard to let your first love go." Tina says softly, she's sitting on the end of the table, closest to Cassandra. She reaches forward and caresses my cheek. "I've been there, and the pain never goes away, but is replaced by a different love." She smiles.

This is the first time that Tina's ever given an indication that she's had other relationships in the past. I give her a smile back, and hug my girlfriends. "It's because it's a different love that makes it so hard." I reply and both of my girlfriends look up at me. 

The bell rings ending further conversation and we untangle ourselves as we get up to leave together.

We're almost at the door. "Do you have to make it so hard on her?" Yasmin says from behind me as she hangs off of Brad's shoulder. 

I glance over my shoulder, as I have two girlfriends hanging on to my arms. "Monique is making it hard on herself. I haven't changed Yasmin, she's the one who won't let go."

Yasmin gives me a sort of a scowl. "No, I guess you haven't changed, you're just not hiding it anymore." 

"Hiding it was making us all miserable." Leilani says turning around while still holding me. "We're happier this way, it's not our fault she's all stuck up."

"Leilani be nice." Travis says as he holds her other hand. Yasmin looks like she's about to make a come back, but we turn and walk away from her. 

Friday afternoons are all Grade 11 classes, we split ways long enough to get our books from our lockers and then get back together again. Tina manages to catch my hand before Leilani and the two of them give each other a challenging look.

"Girls, no arguing." I say and they both giggle as my comment breaks the tension. 

Zoe and Amber give their boyfriends kisses as we part ways with them and head into Algebra together.

Math class, we're doing pre-calculus, and Cassandra is hard put to keep me up to speed. Leilani's not in this class, so I have Travis on the other side where she normally sits. I lean back in my chair as I try to think of how to answer my next equation, and I feel Tina's hands massaging my shoulders. She must have convinced Zoe to change seats, it feels nice, and I start to relax, feeling the tension drain. I tip my head all the way back, she kisses the tip of my nose, and giggles. I smile and go back to my exercises. 

Grammar class, the rest of my soccer team in our grade join us in the back. We are taking up 1/4 of the class. Mrs. Barnes notices that all the girl athletes are together. We smile and giggle. They all look at me for support, I nod, and we all grin back. She shakes her head, smiles, and continues on with the lesson. I have my own jock group now.

As we leave class, boyfriends join in, as do the girls from the other grades. We take up the hall as we excitedly talk about our plans this weekend. Some of them are going to try to join in on our fun at the beach. I have a feeling the soccer team is going to take up a good portion of the beach tomorrow. 

We all part ways as we get into cars and busses. Trent and Zoe join us as we head to the van.

"Our celebration is getting bigger." Zoe comments as Travis unlocks the van and lets us in. 

"More the fun." Travis smiles. "I'll drop off Cassandra and Leilani first, then swing around to our neighbourhood."

"Thanks for the drive home Travis." Leilani says from beside me. 

He nods as he navigates his way through traffic to get out of the student parking. We drop Cassandra off first, and I get out so that I can sit up with my boyfriend.

"See you tomorrow." I smile. 

"See you tomorrow." She says seductively and gives me a long loving kiss.

She 'eeps' in surprise as I give her tush a light slap as she walks away from me. She looks over her shoulder and gives me a smile. 

Next is dropping Leilani off, and she sticks her head between us giving Travis a kiss first and then giving me a long sensual kiss before grabbing her bag and heading out.

"Will you and Cassandra every get intimate the way you are with your neighbour?" Zoe asks me. 

"I don't know, I'm letting Cass set the pace of our relationship." I reply. "I'll leave it to her to decide if we'll get more serious."

"I'd say 'when' you get more serious, I don't see Cassandra letting you go any time before graduation." Travis comments. "I'd say she's in love with you even more than I am, and that's saying a lot!" 

Travis swings around, dropping Trent and I off next at his house. I notice that he lives about 4 blocks away from Travis, and say as much.

"Yes, having my girlfriend only 3 blocks away is quite convenient." Trent says with a smile. 

I can hear them kiss as I lean over and give my boyfriend a kiss goodbye. "Call you later if we end early?" I ask him in a seductive voice.

"To spend some time with you alone tonight, I'll wait anxiously for you call." He says rubbing my nose. 

"Okay, call you sometime after supper." I say with a smile. "Trent, can you grab the folio on your way out?"

"Got it." He says as we both exit the van. We wave to the van as Travis drives off, and turn to head into his place. 

His house is a roomy two bedroom bungalow, from the outside it looks well maintained. This part of town is a mix of working class and middle class. People here are a bit better off than my neighbourhood. I notice that their car is missing, and Trent says that his dad leaves early, and usually doesn't get home for another hour, which is why he walks to and from school... though Zoe has picked him up on a couple of rainy days. I was wondering why she no longer joined Travis during wet weather.

As we enter the house Trent calls out that he's home. His mother comes out of the kitchen wiping her hands on her apron. She walks up and gives me a hug, which surprises me slightly. 

"I'm so glad to finally meet you Rose, Trent has spoken so highly of you." She says holding my shoulders. "If he hadn't started dating Zoe, I'd say he was aiming for you to be his next girlfriend."

I blush. "Well, it may have gone that way." I make him blush as well. "But I think he and Zoe make a much more adorable couple." 

"You set them up together didn't you?" she gives me a sly smile to which I blush. She smiles and shakes her head.

"You two get settled and get working on your project, supper won't be ready for another hour." She says. 

"Okay mom." Trent replies.

We head into the living room where we have a bit more room to work. Brent starts taking stuff out of the folio as I retrieve our essay and artwork from my bag. I start placing everything loosely on the bristol board as he takes the other stuff out of the folio. 

"What's the metal plate for Rose?" Trent asks.

"It's a backing to staple the essay to the board." I reply. He gives me a quizzical look. "Here." I put my hand out, and he hands me the metal plate. I put the plate under the bottom corner of the board. I tap the pages to get them all nice and flush and then put them on the bristol board. "Hold these in place." I say, pulling out my stapler. The stapler is designed for the base to flip up, so you can staple tings to a bulletin board. With a ruler, I have him line the pages to a line I'd already drawn on the board. I then staple the essay at the top in 3 places to the bristol board, the metal plate forces the staples closed and secures the essay in place. 

"You're always so handy." Trent says with a smile as he gives the essay a light tug to make sure all the pages are secure.

We spend the next hour sorting out the visual display. I stencil out the title from the sample I drew on an 8x11 page, and we use the sample to colour in the title. Trent's amazed that I have 8 different colour markers in the folio's pouch. We move the plate around to give us backing to glue and staple on other elements to the board. 

We're so busy, we don't notice his mother approach us, I almost jump when she suddenly speaks out. "You're an artist aren't you Rose?" I look up at her and smile.

"You should see the stuff she does in art class mom!" Trent says. "I go by it to get to shop class, and her work is usually centered or set aside the others in the wall projects." 

I blush at his compliment.

"So those sketches, those aren't just printed off the web?" she clarifies, she was just complimenting us on how well laid out the project is. 

"I drew each one of them." I reply. "And the calligraphy of the title is a font of my own design."

"You truly are as amazing as my son's been praising." She says with a smile. "Is there there something you can't do?" 

"I'm not as good with facts as Trent is, he's written most of the essay." I reply, giving Trent the credit where it's due.

"I'm glad he made as good a friend as you are." She smiles. "Supper is almost ready, you want to set the table dear?" 

"Yes mom." He replies.

We carefully put the project on the folio for the glue to dry, and clean up our mess before heading to the dining room.


	21. Friday Supper

We're about halfway through setting the table when I hear a car pull in and, a few minutes later the front door open. 

"Honey I'm home!" I hear a deeper Trent voice call out.

"Do you look as much like your dad as you sound?" I say to Trent as we put out the cutlery. He blushes, but doesn't reply. 

The man comes into the dining room. "That's an amazing project you have there son...Oh we have a visitor."

I was right, outside of the nose and ears, Trent is a spitting image of his father, even in body build. 

"Hi, I'm Rose." I say extending a hand out to his father.

"Thomas, nice to finally meet you Rose." He says shaking my hand. "My son here has spoken so fondly of you." He puts his arm around Trent in a half hug. "We were expecting the two of you to start dating when he suddenly showed up with that cute little brunette Zoe." 

"They make an adorable couple." I say blushing.

His dad looks between the two of us. "You're taller than my son." He says. 

I blush again. "Well, I'm a year older than Trent, so he's likely to catch up to me soon and be just as tall as you." Noting that his dad stands several centimeters taller than I am.

"If not taller, with the way he eats." His mom says as she carries out of the first dish. "Hi Honey." She kisses her husband as she heads out to grab the next plate. 

"Do you need any help?" I ask as she comes back with mashed potatoes and vegetables in each hand.

"Just grab the bread from the counter. Trent, you want to get the milk and pop out?" 

"Sure mom." Trent and I playfully bump hips against each other as he heads to the fridge while I grab the bread.

We come out together, and sit across from each other as his parents sit on opposite ends of the table. Trent and I start grabbing equal portions of food as his parents watch us. 

"I'm glad I made extras." His mother smiles as she notes we each have almost double portions on our plates.

"Athletes eat so much food." Thomas chuckles. "You remember my appetite when we first started dating." He says as he starts taking a portion of ham for himself. 

"Rose is an amazing soccer player." Trent starts between bites. "I spend her games watching how she coordinates with her team. She's quick to adapt to changes on the field. With our coach, the girls are like one unit.. It's incredible!" he stuffs his mouth with potatoes.

"What about the boys' team." His father asks. 

"Well, we have a new team captain, Brad's specialty is Track and Field, but he's a powerful runner and kicker." Trent says as he swallows his food, he takes a drink before continuing. "I've encouraged him to follow coach's and Rose's tips and we watched the video I took of her team playing before Thursdays game against Twinbrooks."

"I thought I noticed some of our plays in your game yesterday." I say with a smile. 

"Rose's team is that good?" his mom says surprised.

"Rose is their team captain. Between Rose, coach and Tina Sommers, they have this system of hand motions and whistles. I've never seen a team form such a close bond so fast!" Trent takes a small bite of ham and swallows before continuing. "The guys and I are months behind them. So we've been watching Rose's team as they play, hoping to reach that level of cooperation they share." 

"Really?" says his father. I've been quietly eating. "How did you manage that Rose?"

"Honest answer?" I ask, and they nod. "The girls and I love each other. We have a close familiar bond. We trust each other's strength's and weaknesses, working those into our play as to who's the strongest runner, defense, ball control. Coach was good at finding our talents, and we've just been working off of what he started." I take a sip of milk. "I've never felt as close of a camaraderie with any other team I've played with before, my girls are amazing!" 

Trent's mom looks pensive as his dad goes to ask other questions. "So you've played other sports, I notice you're very muscular for a girl your age."

"I've played in a lot of school sports: soccer, volleyball, even started doing competitive cycling. I didn't start building the muscle you see till I started swimming. Our swim coach was strict and had the team enroll in body building and mixed martial arts. The workouts to build muscle, the other to build discipline and coordination."

"That's a pretty strict regiment to put on a group of girls." His mom says in mild distress.

"Umm.." I look at Trent and he nods. "Well, I wasn't always a girl." I start, both his parents drop their forks. "A year ago I was much like Trent, in the _boys_ ' swim league. I started my transition this past spring. My hormone regiment is what's let me to look like the girl you see before you." 

"So you're..." his dad starts, trying to find the words.

"A transgender girl." I finish for him. "It's not common for someone to start so young on hormones, but my therapist thought it was necessary - for my mental and physical health."

"I see." His father finishes. His parents share a wordless glance. "So, how many people at school know about your... Condition?"

"Dad!" Trent looks at his father annoyed. 

"It's okay Trent, not everyone knows how gender variance works." I put my hand up. "I don't have a condition, it's not a mental illness or such. I was born as a boy, but my mind and personality has always been that of a girl. My parents fought against my femininity for as long as I can remember. I've been bullied, teased, and tormented about being effeminate in school." I let that sink in for a moment.

"I've told my teammates, and my closest friends like Trent here about my past. I've not led an easy life, and I've had to fight for my rights to live as a girl for some time now. Despite everything that I've gone through, I am so much happier now than I ever have been. Because of that, I share my heart openly with everyone. I've built very good friendships here, the people I've met here are the family I've never had, and this is why we are so close. We love each other dearly and it's built a bond I've never experienced before."

We're quiet for a moment, and go back to eating. "You are an amazing and brave young woman." His mother says at last, breaking the silence. "I'm glad that Trent has you as a friend, you've helped him so much in his classwork, Thomas and I have never seen his grades so high."

"Trent is smarter than he often gives himself credit for." I smile and he blushes. "I've helped by teaching him to look at problems from a different angle. It's a matter of thinking outside of the box." 

"She sees life completely different than anyone I've ever known." Says Trent.

"Well, you definitely are unlike any of Trent's other friends." His father says at last.

"You sure you two won't be dating?" his mother asks me, causing me to blush.

"Your son is sweet and kind and we share a close friendship." I say to her. "But Zoe loves him dearly, and I wouldn't want to come between the two of them." I finish off my bun. "Besides, I already have a boyfriend." 

"Anyone we know?" his father asks.

"Travis Scott." I reply. "He lives a few blocks away." 

"I work with his father in the same office." He replies thoughtfully, recognizing the last name. "How did you two meet?"

"Before school started, my neighbour Leilani introduced me to Cassandra and Travis, they're all good friends. We sort of hit it off from there. Travis is a geek, we share our love of gaming and computers, and art. He's also one of the few of my friends who enjoys cycling almost as much as I do, so we naturally grew closer as we went out together."

"I didn't think the Scott's boy was involved in sports..." he replies.

"No, but I drag him with us to the Gym every Monday and he's starting to develop a musculature much like Trent here." I say teasing my friend and he blushes. "Travis is the first boy I've ever dated, my affections towards him took me by surprise." 

"Oh?" his mother asks me.

"Well, I wasn't interested in boys before my transition. But my friend Jane says it is common for hormones to change sexual desires. At this point, my chemical transition is complete: my skin, my muscle mass, fat deposits have all shifted to that of a girl my age, I even smell like a girl now."

"So, you naturally are drawn to a boy like any other girl your age." She finishes.

I nod. "It was an odd experience, and I'm still learning what it's like to love a boy."

"You're whole expression changes when you speak of your boyfriend." His mother continues. "You must love him dearly."

"I do. He makes me so happy. Sometimes more than the girls do." I say with a smile. 

"More then the girls do?" his father picks up on my nuance.

"Dad, Rose doesn't just date Travis, she also has girlfriends." Trent answers for me. 

"Girlfriends?" as in your best friends?" his mother asks.

"Umm.. Not really." I say blushing. "While they are also my best friends, they are also my girlfriends, as I'm dating more than one of them right now." 

"Really?" his father says quirking an eyebrow. "How many?"

"Um.. 3 now, with a fourth up north in Britechester." I reply hesitantly. 

"What do your parents think of you dating more than one person?" he says in a stern tone.

Trent and I look at each other for a moment, and there's an awkward silence. "Umm. Thomas." I say hesitantly. "I don't talk to my parents anymore, my father threw me out of the house nearly a year ago, and I've been living on my own since." I look down at my plate playing with what's left of my supper. 

"Oh dear, that's horrible. However do you manage!?" his mother says suddenly in shock.

"My brother helped me get sorted into my transition up in Britechester. He's now my legal guardian, so I spent the summer up north with him. He and his fiancée became my surrogate parents, and have helped me settle here in Willow Creek where I could be safe."

"So they take care of you." She says.

I smile. "The Simmons have been so kind to me. My sister-in-law, Beth, gave me my job at the café, they've given me a house to live in, and her parents have now pretty much adopted me into the family as their own daughter. Next week I move in with them, they said I don't have to live alone anymore." 

"So, moving here to Willow Creek gave you a second chance at a new life." Her mother says.

"It has. Even two months ago, I was this shy girl unsure why I came down here. I had no friends or family outside of Beth to rely on." I smile fondly, recalling how much my life has changed. 

"What changed?" Her mom is now curious.

"I met my neighbour Leilani." I say with a smile. Her warmth and enthusiasm encouraged me to open up. Then, with my café job I was forced to interact with more people. Leilani opened my eyes to life here in Willow Creek, introducing me to all of her friends, none of them treated me as if I was a stranger. I didn't get any weird looks, or strange questions. My immediate acceptance by her friends is what made me finally open up, as I learned I could finally be accepted as myself."

"I take it this Leilani is one of your girlfriends." His dad says.

"It eventually did lead to that, yes." I blush. "My first friendships with Leilani, Travis and Cassandra grew into something more than friendships, and we're now all dating." 

"Each other?" his dad asks.

"Umm. No. I'm their girlfriend. Travis and Cassandra are old friends, they would never date one another, they see each other as siblings - seeing as they're a year apart." I reply.

"And the other two?" his mother prompts.

I look thoughtful. "Well, Travis, Leilani and I share a strange love triangle. It's really hard to figure who's dating who at this point. He's our boyfriend, I'm their girlfriend.." 

"She's polyamorous Mom." Trent says finally.

"Meaning you can love more than one person?" his mom asks and I nod. "But you won't be dating Trent?" 

"Mom!" Trent says in surprise.

"I have more than enough relationships right now." I reply to her. "I am not about to interfere with the love that Trent and Zoe share, they make an adorable couple, they deserve one another. My only play in their lives was setting them up to date one another." 

"Oh really?" his mother looks at me with interest.

I blush. "Well, with Trent and I spending more time together, it was only a matter of time before he and Zoe would meet. I noticed that she had a crush on him bigger than a crush on me, so I figured I would just... well... introduce them to each other. And encourage them to date." 

"And it worked. You are right, they do make an adorable couple." She finishes for me. "Wait, she had a crush on him more than you?"

I blush. "I seem to have that affect on people. My sister Beth says it's because I'm openly affectionate, and a bit of a flirt. I tend to attract people." 

"She has this aroma of strawberries around her." Trent comments. "It's very compelling."

"So is that why you spoke so fondly of Rose?" his mother asks. 

Trent blushes. "Okay, I may have just a bit of a crush for Rose, almost everyone at school does!" He says in his defense. "But Rose is right. Once she encouraged me to date Zoe, I realized quickly what Zoe and I have together as a couple. Rose is a wonderful girl, I never imagined having a female best friend, but this year would have been so different without her help."

"The boys soccer team needed you." I say finishing off my potatoes. "I was not going to deny them a good powerful forward because you were struggling in a few classes." I look to each of his parents. "I come from a large family, Trent has become like a brother to me. Like you, I just want to see him succeed in life." 

"Are you like this with all of your friends?" his mother asks between bites.

"I am. I spent so much of my life being belittled, bullied and abused for what I wasn't, I don't like to see my friends struggle. I will do anything I can to see them happy and succeed. I learned this summer that everyone deserves a chance at happiness, so I have made it my mission in life to see that those I care about the most do." Trent and I share a smile. 

"I now see why Trent admires you so much." His dad says. "You are quite interesting, if you need anything, just let us know."

"Thank you." I say 

We finish up our meal with Trent going on about his game yesterday with Twinbrooks. His parents smile as he adds in my conversation with Brad, and our half-time show antics. While it was his team that worked hard and won the game, he still gives me some of the credit for making it happen.

Once we're done eating, we carefully put the project back into my folio and make sure I didn't manage to leave anything behind. We agree to leave the folio at his place and he will bring it in Monday morning. 

"Do you have to head off so soon?" he say sadly.

"I promised my boyfriend I'd try to spend some time with him tonight." I say putting a hand on his shoulder. "Look at it his way, you still have time for a movie with Zoe." 

"That's not a bad idea." Trent smiles. "I'll call her."

"See you tomorrow." I say giving him a hug. 

"See you tomorrow." He says, I can feel his hug lingering longer than usual. When we pull apart he has that look on his face again.

I put my finger on his lips. "Keep that for Zoe." 

Trent slumps his shoulders. "Is kissing you really that big of a deal?" He says, disappointment clear in his voice.

I cup his cheek. "Ask Cassandra, she'll tell you all about it." I say teasingly. 

"You are such a tease." He says mildly frustrated.

I give him a sly smile, grab my backpack and head to the door, putting my flats on.

"You sure you want to walk at this hour dear?" his mother asks, as she comes out of the kitchen. "It's getting dark outside."

"Travis only lives 4 blocks from here, I won't be out for long." I reassure her. "I'll be calling him as I head out." 

"Okay, be safe." She says.

"I will." And I head out the door. 


	22. Friday Night

I call up my boyfriend as I hit the sidewalk, re-balancing my backpack. 

"Hey." I hear his voice pickup the line.

"Hey there lover, still up for me coming over tonight?" I say in a sweet voice. 

"I'll get the popcorn started." He says with a smile. "I have something special for tonight."

"Oh?" I say curiously. I arrive at the street corner and it takes me a moment to orient which way is Travis' house. 

"Well, I can't tell you what it is, or it won't be a surprise." He says teasingly.

"Oh, we're going to play that game, are we?" I say in a seductive tone. 

"That and so much more, see you soon." His voice is smooth and sexy. I love it when he talks like that.

"I'm on Canard street, I'll be there in a few minutes." I smile. 

"Heading towards downtown?" he asks.

"Yes." I say with a smile. 

"Your knowledge of this town always surprises me." I can hear the grin in his voice.

"See you soon lover." I say with a smile. 

"See you soon." He says.

I hang up the line so that I can focus on a faster walk, and make it to his place in a little over five minutes. Travis is waiting for me at the door, and opens it as I get close. 

"You didn't jog here, did you?" he says mildly surprised.

"Just a speed walk." I say a touch out of breath. "I can't jog in these shoes."

Travis shakes his head and wraps his arms under my backpack as I put my arms around him. His right hand is resting on my rump and he gives it a slight squeeze as I give my boyfriend a long, loving kiss. It seems to deepen our embrace and I kick the door lightly to close it behind me as we continue to kiss.

"Evening Rose." Liz says, breaking our embrace, as she comes out of the kitchen with a large bowl of popcorn. 

"Good evening." I say with a smile. I take Travis' hand and we follow her into the living room.

"Now you kids are all set up for a movie, I want you two to behave now." She says in a cautionary tone. 

I now notice that she's wearing an evening dress and has her makeup all done up for a night out. 

"No more than two movies and you drive Rose home now, you hear?" his mother says in a stern voice. "She's not sleeping over tonight." 

"No mom, I'll make sure she's home safe and sound before you and dad get home." Travis says, rolling his eyes.

"Don't give me that look, you left early this morning, and it was definitely not to run errands or do homework with Cassandra." She says in a motherly tone. "Not with you smelling like Rose."

"Well, we did get the Goth children to school this morning." I say with a slight smile.

She stops at the hallway and looks back. "You are possibly the worse 'good' influence on my son." She says mildly annoyed.

"Is that why there's iced tea rather than pop on the table?" I inquire, and she smiles.

"Travis says you like adding humour to change a topic." She shakes her head. I hear his dad coming down the stairs, still fiddling with his tie. "Come here dear." She says and ties a nice Windsor knot and pats it in place. 

"Take note how to knot a tie dear." Liz say looking at me. "If Travis is anything like his father, he'll need your help with it."

"I'm not that bad with a tie." he says getting flustered. 

"It's okay dear, we're all good at something." She gives her husband a light kiss and then giggles as she wipes the lipstick off his face.

"Have a good night." I say to them and they both wave before they leave. I turn to my boyfriend as I hear them get into the car. 

"Before you start, I had no idea mom & dad were going out tonight, but I wasn't going to pass up this opportunity." Travis says with a wide smile.

"What's the first movie? And movie before nookie." I say cautioning him. 

"Tales of Babylon," he says "I never got to watch it when it was out in cinemas, you?"

I shake my head. "That came out in May. I didn't get out much at that time, I was still uncomfortable being femme in public." 

Travis' eyes go wide, and he shakes his head. "I can't imagine you as anything other than the beautiful redhead I fell in love with."

"I can show you pictures sometime. My social media page shows my transition progress, and I might still have pictures of my swim team somewhere." I offer to him. 

"No, who you are now matters more to me that who you were." He walks closer and pulls me into a hug. "I know it was part of your past, but it's a painful past that I want you to leave behind."

"In your arms, I can't imagine of anything else but my future.... With you." I look at him and we kiss. We continue to kiss for a few minutes before we finally break our embrace. 

"Lets get to the movie before we forget about it altogether." He says his voice thick with growing lust.

"You sit down first, I want to cuddle into you." I say with a smile. 

"Says the taller one." He mumbles and I giggle.

We turn down the lights. Travis sits down on the couch sideways, using the pillows to prop himself upright. I sit in his lap and slide down a bit, so that my head is leaning against his shoulder. He leans his head against mine for a moment, before reaching for the remote and starting the movie. My arms are long enough to grab the popcorn bowl, and we settle in with the bowl in my lap, we munch on popcorn as we fast forward through the credits. 

We hold each other through the movie and quietly talk as we react to the scenes. It's so nice to be held in his arms like this. It reminds me of the first movie we watched together. It was cozy, we cuddled, and we just enjoyed each other's company, like any other teen couple dating. I get out of his hold a few times to get us some iced tea, but otherwise we snuggle happily through the movie.

After the movie, I announce I have to go pee, and dash upstairs to use the washroom. When I get out, I notice a light on in Travis' room. I push open the door and he's at his computer. 

Travis looks back at me. "Tim asked me to log in quick, so I want to see what's up."

I nod and grab the chair by his bed, and lean on his shoulder as he logs in. As he pops in to guild channel, I hear Tim's voice pipe up. 

"Okay, good, Thornton is here, that makes three officers online to deal with this issue."

"What issue is that?" My boyfriend asks. 

"I don't know." Varielle says, "He suddenly dragged us out mid-dungeon."

"And we were having a good run." Sylvianna comments as she joins my girlfriend in the guild hall. 

"Thank you all for arriving so fast. Malavelle is talking about leaving the guild and forming his own." Tarvel says as he comes into the room.

"Okay..." I say, forgetting I'm not in character. 

"Caninna, what are you doing at Thornton's place? Didn't you two have enough fun this morning?" Varielle says mildly annoyed.

"And why was I not invited." Pouts Sylvianna. 

"We were just watching a movie." Thornton replies. "Cannina was done her project early, and Trent doesn't live far from my place."

"We can talk about your relationship issues later." Nemarcus says sternly. "We need to address that Malavelle has access to most of the guild vault. We need 3 officers present to authorize his demotion so that he doesn't take a large amount of our stores with him." 

"How sure are we that he's leaving the guild?" Thornton asks.

"He's been really chummy with the Barons of Cornwall, and I've heard rumours of them reforming." Tarvel says. 

"I thought half their guild was kicked for abusing the marketplace." Thornton replies.

"They were." Nemarcus replies. "Which is why we are so worried that they may convince him to do something treasonous as he leaves."

Travis brings up the guild roster. "He's not been online for a couple of days. Are we sure we want to do this?"

"He has a habit of popping in past midnight, so that he can play with his west coast buddies." Nemarcus comments. "We can't take the chance of what he can do when none of us are around."

"I've drafted a cautionary letter to him." Tarvel shares the note. "That this is a precautionary step till we can discuss his involvement with the Barons."

"Okay, I feel a little better at doing this." Thornton says. He looks to me, and I nod. "Cannina agrees." 

"Do you two ever do anything apart?" Nemarcus asks in mild surprise.

"Not if they can avoid it." Varielle says with a giggle. "It's hard to catch a moment alone with my girlfriend." 

"Okay, all in favor for the temporary demotion of Malavelle say 'Aye'." Tarvel says.

Everyone agrees without hesitation. He has Thornton and Nemarcus confirm the vote.

"Done." Tarvel says. "You can all go back to whatever you were doing, sorry for dragging you all in for this."

"Thornton, are you and Cannina staying on?" Nemarcus asks. 

"Can't, I only have the one computer here, and we still have another movie to watch." My boyfriend replies.

"Awe." My girlfriends reply. 

"We'll see you all tomorrow morning." I reply.

"I'll be over first thing for breakfast." Sylvianna comments making me giggle. 

"I look forward to seeing you then." I smile.

"I want to see how you squeeze into a one piece without your fun bits showing." My girlfriend winks towards us on screen. 

"No fair." Varielle pouts. "I never get to see her fun bits."

"In good time my love." I reply to her. 

"You girls aren't talking about what I think your talking about, are you?" Nemarcus ventures.

"You mean the fun part that Thornton isn't interested in, and leaves for me to play with?" Sylvianna teases. 

Nemarcus is quiet for a moment.

"I think you broke him my love." I comment and she giggles. 

Tarvel chuckles. "I know you've told us about it Cannina, but I think Nemarcus forgets that you are more than a girl."

"I like your way of looking at it." Thornton smiles. 

"She is definitely more than a girl." Sylvianna purrs. "After what she did this morning..."

"Down girl." Varielle says. "And try not to get her too excited at the beach tomorrow." 

"You lot are no fun." My girlfriend pouts.

"It's a public beach my love, you don't want to embarrass our girlfriend, do you?" Thornton replies. It's the first time he's ever addressed her or our relationship that way. I give him a look, he's really developed feelings for Leilani. 

"No...." Sylvianna says after a moment. "You're right."

"I love you all, goodnight." I say in the mic. 

"Love you too." My girlfriends say together.

We sign off as Nemarcus is commenting about their tandem comment. I'm sitting there, looking at Travis, smiling. 

"What?" he looks at me, wondering what I'm smiling about.

"You called Leilani 'my love', and then addressed me as 'our girlfriend', it was so cute." Travis blushes. "You've developed feelings for Leilani." I comment softly. 

"Well, we've slept together enough, it's hard not to feel something for someone after you've been intimate that way." He says thoughtfully. "I still love you more." He adds.

"You are adorable." I reply putting my arm around his shoulder. 

"I am, am I?" he smiles.

The way we're sitting, reminds me of the first night when we kissed. "You are my adorable romantic, soft hearted geek, and I love you so much." I say sweetly. 

"You going to kiss me?" he says teasingly.

"You bet I am." I smile and shift position so that I can give him a kiss. 

We sit there for a few minutes, passionately kissing each other. Just like that first night, and it feels so good. I feel Travis' arm move around my front and I give a surprised squeak as he pulls me into his lap.

I shift my position so that I'm straddling his lap, my legs are hanging on either side as I pull myself closer to him and our kiss intensifies. His hands are roaming all over my back, driving my passion further. 

He breaks the kiss and starts kissing down my neck, and I hold on to his shoulders as he brings his hands around and starts unbuttoning my silk blouse. My skirt is pulled up to my waste and I grind myself against his crotch. He kisses all my bare skin, leaving my bra untouched and I moan and whimper for more. He stops kissing my body, and looks up at me, I can see the wanton passion in his eyes.

His hands slide down to my bottom, and he grasps my butt as he starts to get up off the chair. We look passionately into each others eyes, I wrap my legs around him as he starts guiding us to the bed. 

He lays me down on the bed, and his hands move to my waist, taking off my skirt as he hovers over me. He finishes unbuttoning my blows as I bite my lower lip in anticipation. He reaches under me, and finds the clasp to my bra, once that's undone he pulls both off of me and deposits my top and bra beside my skirt. He straddles me and starts to take his shirt off.

I wait till his eyes are covered as he pulls the neck over his head before reaching for his pants and unbuttoning his jeans. I pull down the zipper as he finally gets the top off. He gives me a grin as I start to try to tug his pants down. 

"Oh you want this do you?" he says seductively.

"Yes." I say with wanton lust. 

"Didn't have enough this morning?" he teases.

"I can never get enough of you." I say huskily. I reach up and pull him down on top of me. 

He gladly obliges and leans down to kiss me passionately. I'm down to my panties and I aim to even the score. My tucked cock is painfully wanting to straighten out as I start to get hard with the passion of our foreplay.

I go to roll us over, but there's not enough room on his twin bed for that. I groan at the fact his bed is smaller than mine. Instead I move my legs up, pushing his closed. Once his legs are straight, I hook my feet in his jeans and push them down to his knees. He moans at my motions, mostly how his hard-on within his briefs is grinding against my pantie-clad body. We continue dry hump as my feet finish pushing his jeans off. 

I break the kiss and whisper in his ear. "Let me suck that first load off so you can last longer when you enter me."

He groans in reply and I let him go as he slides up to let me free his hard-on from his underwear. He kneels above me as my hands slide along his legs. He feeds his erection to me as I happily take him in my mouth and it doesn't take long to get him off. His excitement is clear. It's hard to swallow his load at this angle, and some of it seeps down my cheek onto the pillow. 

He holds on to his headboard and lets out a deep breath. "Wow, that always feels so good when you do that."

He climbs off of me to finish taking his briefs off and I take the opportunity to take my panties off. I shift laying across his bed, my knees touching the ground and look back at him as he recovers.

"How about this position?" I tease.

"Hmm.. That's actually better than what I had in mind." He says as he gets on his knees. 

I have my hard-on pulled up against me with my nuts on the bed, leaving only my anus for him to see. He leans forward and surprises me by starting to kiss my backside, and everything around it. I sigh and coo at his attention. When he sticks his tongue in my hole I moan in pleasure. Wow, I'd heard of rimming, it feels really good!

After what feels like a blissful eternity, he straightens up and shuffles forward putting his knob against my hole. Like this morning, I'm wet back there, so he starts to slide into me with ease and I moan loudly as he fills me up. 

Like this morning, Travis is in no rush as he starts to slowly push himself deeper into me with each thrust. He's as deep as he can go when I feel him lay on top of me kissing my shoulder and neck. He slowly moves in and out as he kisses all over my shoulders, slipping his hands under the bed and finding my breasts.

I was expecting him to merely hold my hips and make love to me doggy style, but instead, I feel his legs straighten, and he starts moving in and out of me while laying on top of me - like a reverse push-up.

He's fondling my breasts as his motion increases and I'm really vocal at this point. He's hitting all of my erogenous zones between massaging my nipples and pushing in and out of me. The motion is pushing my own erection against the bed, the friction driving me to another level of pleasure.

My moans suddenly increase as I feel that wonderful tingling sensation and my whole body explodes as he pushes deep into me and gets off himself, brining on another orgasm as I feel him fill me deeply. 

We lay there for a few moments, catching our breath. He's still laying on my back, his knees between mine as we lay half on and half off the bed.

"Definitely need to add this position to the 'must try again' list." I say in a dreamy voice. 

Travis chuckles and gives my shoulder a kiss. "You're making a list?"

"You bet your sweet ass I am." I say wiggling my bottom against is slowly softening member. 

"Make that your sweet ass and I'm all for it." He says seductively, and we both laugh lightly.

I straighten myself up off the bed, holding on to his butt as I do so that he's still holding me from behind. I whimper as the motion pushes him out and lean my head against his shoulder. 

He glances over my shoulder at the damp spot on the edge of the bed. "You didn't cum into my bed, did you?"

"It felt so good, I couldn't hold back." I say apologetically. 

He squeezes me tight and kisses my shoulder. "What am I going to do with you?"

"You could make love to me again." I say in a sultry tone, wiggling my butt against him. 

Travis chuckles. "You definitely are a good bad influence..."


	23. Friday after the Movie

An hour and a half later, after our third love making session, I'm having trouble walking to the van. I'll never get over how different his love making is, and how it pleases me on a different level than I have with my girlfriends. 

I still can't get over how he treats my penis. It doesn't disgust him or embarrass him, he fully recognizes that it's there. I'm sure he can also tell when it's aroused, but as a straight man, he shows no interest in actually giving my cock any attention. I think it's cause he doesn't find that part of me as gross that I find I have no problem with how our relationship is growing. I'm a girl in his eyes, and anything that doesn't make me a girl isn't important. It's part of what makes what we have together so special. I can be the woman I've always wanted to be in his arms, and it brings me comfort.

We make small talk about what we plan to do tomorrow at the beach, who's going to bring what. He's offered to bring his cooler tomorrow and a beach blanket. He'll pick up Zoe and Trent, then come to pick up Cassandra, Leilani and I. On the way to the beach we'll stop by the grocery store across the road and get ice and drinks - and maybe some snacks. This will save us money. I'll bring my picnic blanket and other necessities. This way we have a large space we can all sit together. 

I give my boyfriend a long loving kiss goodnight.

"I wish I could stay with you tonight" he says sadly. 

"Your mom told you I'm not sleeping over tonight, I'm pretty sure that applies to you as well." I say as we lean our heads together.

"I know." He lets out a deep breath. "I just wish I could hold you in my arms at night." 

"You can." He looks at me hopefully. "After graduation." And he slumps his shoulders.

"It's not that far away my love." I say in a positive tone. 

"Far enough." He gives me a sad smile.

"Goodnight my love." I say sweetly, opening the door. 

"Goodnight." He says, we trade another kiss and I get out of the van, pulling my backpack with me.

I wave as he drives off, and head into the house. I need to pop online tonight, Dee was commenting how my support group was missing me. Well, more that she was missing me, but I shouldn't ignore my friends either. 

I take off my shoes and sit down at the computer, wincing a bit. I'm a little tender back there. Between this morning and tonight, I hope he's not wanting more nookie after the beach, I'm not sure my backside could take it!

I log on, noticing there's also a message from ma tante Céline on my social media page. 

-= Rose =- Allo ma tante, ça va ce soir?

I type to her as I log into my live chat group. 

-= Sam =- There she is, we've been missing you Rose.

-= Rose =- Hi Sam, miss you too, how's fall in Britechester. 

-= Diane =- All the leaves are turning pretty colours here, I wish you could see it!

-= Rose =- Send me some pictures, and I'll live vicariously through you my love." 

-= Jane =- No mushy talk with your girlfriend Rose, if Tony pops on, he might not like it.

-= Céline =- You were not in game tonight, we missed you.

-= Rose =- Oh, so you admit that she's my gf now too?

-= Jane =- After that night you shared, and the way she's been pining after you, I call it as I see it. 

-= Sam =- Some of us are still upset about that night.

-= Diane =- Sam, you're only upset cause I seduced her first.

-= Rose =- Sorry ma tante, I had a school project to work on, and then I watched movies with my boyfriend.

-= Céline =- Ah, so that's why Thornton was missing as well. I still cannot believe you have a boyfriend. After all those years of telling your parents you had no interest in boys. So, what's this about not going home?

I ignore my support group for a moment as Sam and Dee bicker about our relationships.

-= Rose =- I am home ma tante. Willow Creek is first place I've truly felt accepted for who I am. I've made friends and even have a new family here. 

-= Céline =- I see. So, you won't be moving back to San Myshuno?

-= Rose =- Probably not. After high school, I'm going to back to Britechester to study computer science - with Travis and Cassandra. 

-= Céline =- Your boyfriend and one of your girlfriends?

A ping in the support group catches my attention. 

-= Sam =- Rose, please tell this silly girl that you love me.

-= Rose =- I do love you Sam, you were the first boy who saw me as a girl, and I'll always cherish that.

-= Lisa =- You mean there was a boy before Sam who saw you otherwise?

-= Rose =- :blush: Umm... I'll tell you about that some other time.

-= Sam =- I thought you never had a boyfriend before Travis?...

-= Rose =- I didn't have a boyfriend, but Sam was not the first boy to pursue me before my transition.

-= Jane =- :smiles:

-= Rose =- Jane, you keep quiet, I never even told my brother about that.

-= Jane =- My lips are sealed.

I leave Jane to fend off their inquiries. 

-= Rose =- Yes, my boyfriend and girlfriend. You know her as Varielle.

-= Céline =- You are much more amorous with Sylvianna, is she not going to Britechester with you?

-= Rose =- She doesn't have an plans for university, she might go to college, but honestly, she's not sure where she wants to go - outside of having a family some day.

-= Céline =- You can provide her that, can't you? That part still works, you haven't removed it?

-= Rose =- :blush: Yes, I could provide that for her. I have had no surgeries ma tante, what you see is natural, just estrogen hormones to replace the testosterone, so that I can be a woman and not a man.

-= Céline =- It's amazing what medicine can do to the body. You've always been more like a girl than a boy, ton oncle and I are glad to finally see you happy. How is your mother taking it. 

-= Rose =- Maman is more supportive than my father is, but she recognizes that it's dangerous to be around him as long as he's got this idiotic notion that he can fix me.

-= Céline =- But you are fixed ma nièce, you are finally the person you need to be. 

-= Rose =- :sigh: I wish he would see what you see. :-(

-= Céline =- Give him time ma belle. You will see he's not a bad man. 

-= Rose =- No, I suppose he isn't, he just doesn't know what to do with a daughter. :-/

-= Céline =- There, you understand him more than you realize already. 

I look over to my group chat.

-= Rose =- No, I'm not going to tell you about the awkward moment I had when one of my teammates asked me to be their boyfriend. I couldn't be what he wanted.

-= Diane =- I don't know about boyfriend material, but you do make one hell of a sexy girlfriend. ;-*

-= Lisa =- I only hope that I end up as pretty as the two of you. You look so amazingly adorable together. 

-= Rose =- How are you an Jun doing hun?

-= Lisa =- :blush: I'm moving in with him next month. He spoils me so much! I've gotten flowers delivered to my dorm room twice this week! I'll be spending the weekend with him after we have dinner tomorrow. 

-= Rose =- I'm glad it's working out.

-= Lisa =- I've never had a boy make me feel the way he does! He makes me feel both masculine and feminine at the same time, it's incredible!

-= Jane =- I swear this is the first time I've heard of a gay man treating a transwoman with so much love and respect. I think he may be a bit bi like his brother Lee.

-= Lisa =- Speaking of Lee, Rose, you really need to call him, the poor boy is love sick. 

-= Rose =- Oh dear, I never intended on Lee becoming a boyfriend.

-= Lisa =- To quote Lee: "I've never been so thoroughly fucked by a woman before." I think you definitely made an impression on him.

-= Diane =- I can definitely agree with that statement. Once you've made love to Rose, it's hard finding someone else that can make you feel the way she does.

-= Jane =- Rose can't answer right now, she's blushing and hiding her face with her hands. 

I see my chat with ma tante flash.

-= Céline =- Rose ma belle, c'est tard...

-= Rose =- OMG, I'm sorry, I forgot you're, like, 4 hours ahead of me. Sorry!

-= Céline =- C'est bien ma belle. We'll talk soon. 

-= Rose =- Bonsoir ma tante

-= Céline =- Bonne nuit Rose. 

I watch her sign off, and lean back. It's so nice that I'm reconnecting with my family. So far, only my mother's side have left comments or reactions to my social media posts. My father's side of the family has been silent. I don't know if it's to support him, or if they are just as close-minded as he is. My aunt Mary and her girlfriend Kim have been the only ones on his side that have shown support.

-= Rose =- I'm going to give Lee a call, do you know if he's up?

-= Lisa =- My boyfriend says that they just got home from a late shift, so you can catch him before he goes to bed.

-= Rose =- Great, catch you all later then. I'll have some beach shots to share tomorrow. 

-= Diane =- I'm going to miss seeing you in that slim red one piece? :-(

-= Rose =- You're the only one of my lovers who've seen me wear the balconette teddy...

-= Diane =- Umm.. That did fit you so well too, it was even better watching you strip it off. ;-) You are bringing that with you this winter.

-= Rose =- For you Dee my darlin' I'll bring anything you want. ;-)

-= Diane =- Hmmm. I can almost hear your accent with that, I miss you so much. Call me later?

-= Rose =- I will. Good night everyone. 

I get a round of good nights from everyone, including Sam who had been quiet this whole time. I think he's a little uncomfortable once the discussion moved over to Lee and my relationship with Dee. He is such a confusing boy.

I go to my bedroom and put my night shirt on before I call Lee. 

"Hello?" Lee's sleepy voice picks up the line. _Oh dear he was about to go to bed_.

"Evenin' lover boy, I hear you been missing me." I say in a sweet voice. 

"Rose." I hear the smile in his voice. "I'm glad you called."

"So what's this I hear about you all broken hearted?" I inquire.

"I'm not broken hearted, I just miss you." He says with a sad voice.

"Lee, we barely know each other, and we only spent one night together..." I start, wondering if I can let him down softly. 

"It was the best night I have ever spent in bed with someone, please tell me that won't be the only time I'll see you, you are coming back soon, right?"

"Do you love me Lee?" I ask, needing to know.

"I don't know what to call it Rose, I just need to see you again." He says with hope in his voice.

"I come back up north at the end of Winter Break, I'll be there for a week before classes start." I reply. 

"So I get to spend more than one night with you?" the smile coming back in his voice.

"You'll have to pry me away from my girlfriend, she's gotten rather clingy." I tease him.

"The cute little raven that was giving you doe eyes despite sitting in her boyfriend's lap?" Lee inquires. "Is that why you didn't spend Friday night with me?"

"Yes, apparently I'm really good at making an impression." I say letting out a sigh. 

"That cock of yours, I don't blame her for wanting more, I doubt he has anything to compete with you." Lee says in a seductive tone. "I can see why Beth hangs on to your brother, if you two are as built the same as you look, I can imagine she'd never want another man in her life."

I blush at his perverted comment. Why do I keep finding love interests that are obsessed with my body?

"Speaking of my brother, he's not very impressed with our night together." I say with caution.

"Considering I'm a year older than he is, I can imagine he sees me going after his little sister, as if I was robbing the cradle." Lee sighs. "Is that why he gives me the occasional dirty look?"

"I'm sorry, my brother can get overly protective." I apologize. "I hope he doesn't give you too much trouble."

"Well, he hasn't boycotted the café, so I guess he's not that angry, just not as friendly as he used to be." Lee says sadly. 

"Want me to talk to him?" I venture.

"Don't worry your pretty little head over your brother and I, we'll get it sorted out." Lee says softly. 

"Unless we hook up again this winter..." I say in a worried tone.

"There, there, I'm a big boy. I've dealt with unaccepting homophobic fathers, I can deal with an over-protective brother." Lee replies, I can hear the smile in his voice. 

"You are amazing. The more I know about you the more interesting you become." I say with a smile.

"See, there's some hope for us yet." I can hear the grin in his voice. 

"I'm not calling you my boyfriend yet." I caution him.

I hear him chuckle on the line. "Give me more time my lovely Rose, we'll see where it goes from here." 

I shake my head, he can be such a horrible flirt. Why do I find myself attracted to that idea?

"Good night Lee." I say sweetly. 

"Hmmm I love that accent of yours, it makes everything you say so much more exotic." Lee sighs. "Good night Rose."

I hang up the line, and just stare at the ceiling. Lee's older than my brother, but is acting like a college freshman with his first girlfriend. How do I manage to get myself into these situations? I look down at my crotch, noticing that talking with Lee had me slightly excited. I poke at my half hard member. The part of me that seems to get me into so much trouble. Would Lee be as attracted to me if I didn't have this? Would I just be another girl he served and nothing special?

George and his band seemed to be interested in me plenty enough - without knowing what was between my legs. How did I go from class reject to the most wanted girl around? The only person who ever thought of me as special before my transition was Jim.

My mind goes back to three years ago, my start with the swim league. Jim is almost 2 years older than I am, and immediately became protective. It was like having my big brother with me again, only there was something different about Jim. He treated me differently than the other boys. The way he touched me sometimes... I never understood what sexual attraction was at the time. 

Then, last Winterfest, when he we had an afternoon alone, he asked me to be his boyfriend. He even tried to kiss me. I was shocked. I didn't know what to say. When I told him I wasn't interested in boys he became heartbroken, but never let it show to the rest of the team.... He hid his sexuality really well. I think I'm the only one on the team that knows he's gay. And I never told anyone of what happened that day.

I wonder what Jim would think of me now? When we bumped into each other before school, he didn't recognize me. This would be his final year in High School, though none of the team has changed... I wonder why they haven't taken on new members? Or maybe they have, but the freshmen aren't at the competition level yet. Coach Conrad would be putting the new kids through their physical training regiment... Something I really don't miss. 

I flex my bicep, noting it's still lean muscle. Obvious lean muscle that seems to attract so many people. What I would give to have a more feminine form, one that's soft like Leilani's. Even Tina, second most muscular girl I've met, doesn't have my muscle mass. She's an obvious athlete, but it's clear she wasn't subjected to heavy workouts like I was for the past three years. I guess I have my father and Coach Conrad to thank for others finding me now irresistible as a woman. The soft, artistic romantic girl trapped in me became this muscular powerhouse.

Rather than look awkward, my transition softened me, and made me more feminine. With my natural grace before sports, it just amplified what I have to give. Thanks Coach, you took this slim, awkward, artistic geek, and turned her into a bombshell that everyone craves. Sure I'm not this pretty little bimbo, with a perfect hourglass figure, perfect everything... Those who crave a Barbie Doll girlfriend go for girls like Susan and her cheerleader squad. I attract a different crowd it seems. Will it get any easier outside of Willow Creek?

I drift off to sleep with my mind wandering about what I was and what would I have become had things been different....


	24. Saturday Morning

A knock on my front door wakes me from slumber. I open my eyes, noting the sun is just starting to come into my bedroom. I look over to that clock, it’s 7am… 

I recognize the knock this time, and groan. _Seriously Leilani, this early!?_

I look down my body. My morning wood suggests that, whatever I was dreaming of, it was definitely something erotic. Too bad I don’t remember it. 

I pull my robe on, tying it low at the waste to pull the erection against my body and go to answer the door.   
Leilani’s face is way to bright and happy for this time of the morning. I guess you ‘could’ say I slept in, but I would - for once - love to wake up later one day.

“Good morning my love!” Leilani says happily. 

My face softens and I smile, how can I ever be angry at her angelic face first thing in the morning? The sunrise is framing her face and making her glow, like that first morning she came over to see me. 

I stand behind the door and let her in. She steps in, and she pushes the door closed to give me a hug and kiss. She breaks our embrace and gives me a seductive smile. 

“So that’s why you’re hiding behind the door..” She pulls my robe tie letting my hard-on pop out. “I didn’t know you were this anxious to see me this morning.” I blush, unsure why I feel embarrassed to be hard around my girlfriend. She reaches down and wraps her hand around it. “Hiding this may have worked the first morning I dropped by, but you’re not keeping this from me this time.” She says seductively. 

“Oh, I’m not am I?” I say playing coy. 

“Not when I can do this..” She says and crouches and takes me in her mouth. 

_Oh wow, that feels good!_ I moan and tilt my head back, holding on to her head. It doesn’t take her long to get me off, it must have been a really good dream. My release just feels so good this morning. Like a release of tension I didn’t know I had. 

“There, that’s better.” She gives my softening member a soft pat, and straightens up to kiss me again. 

“You are amazing!” I say with a deep breath and give her a deep passionate kiss. “Thank you.” I say as we finally break our embrace. 

“So, can we have some breakfast before our next round, or should we skip it and go straight to the bedroom?” She purrs seductively. 

“You’re actually going to let me eat first this time?” I tease her. 

“This time.” She gives me a coy smile, and starts leading me into the kitchen. “Please tell me you have some Blooming Roses left.” 

“Just enough for the two of us for breakfast.” I smile. 

“Good she says, going into the fridge and pulling them out, as well as the pitcher of juice.   
I pull out plates, and glasses. When I turn around, Leilani is examining the juice pitcher. 

“Why is the juice all murky?” she asks as I stand beside her. 

“I added carrot juice to the mix.” I comment. “I put the leftover pulp into the freezer, I’m sure their chef Pierre will find something to do with it.” I smile. 

“They have a chef?” Leilani says in surprise. “So, you won’t have to cook anymore?” 

I shake my head, I pour myself a glass, and take a long drink - nearly draining it. I refill it again, before opening the container. There are 4 pastries left, I’ll just have to find something else to eat for tomorrow morning. 

“I guess you can say I’m going from rags to riches with the way I’ve been living for past few months. I always wondered how my brother lived so well and we never went without this summer. He always had just enough money for what we needed. Now I know where the money came from.” 

“You think they’ve been giving him some sort of allowance?” Leilani inquires, putting her portion of pastry on a plate.

“They gave me spending money when I went up to Britechester, and I never asked for a thing. I can’t see them treating Dave any different.”

Leilani and I sit down and hold each other’s hands as we eat breakfast. She’s wearing a peach coloured pom-pom crochet panel beach dress. It’s thin, almost transparent. It doesn’t hide the gold-metallic bikini underneath. I find myself sitting there quietly staring at her. 

“What?” she asks after a moment. 

“You look absolutely radiant. Wait till Travis sees you in that.” I say in a dreamy voice. “You are so beautiful!” 

“Thank you.” She blushes. “I was hoping you would like it.” 

“Like is nowhere near how I would describe how you look right now.” I flirt with her. 

“Speaking of Travis, when is he coming to pick us up?” She asks. 

“Around 9, so that we can grab things from the grocery store before we hit the beach.” 

“So we have a lot of time together this morning.” Leilani says in a seductive tone. 

“Yes, we do, I didn’t think you meant it when you said you’d be by first thing in the morning.” I give her hand a squeeze. 

Leilani giggles, then becomes serious. “I don’t know when we’ll have a moment alone again. I just wanted to take advantage of one last morning with you.” 

“I’ll be by every morning after work…” I comment.

“But mama and daddy will always be around, it won’t be the same.” She pleads. 

“Okay, you have a point there.” I say taking a drink of juice. 

“However did you manage to get here so early without any objections?” I say curiously

“My parents have gone to the Twinbrooks market this morning, seeing as vegetables are in season, it’s the best place to pick up fresh local food.”

We finish breakfast talking about my move tomorrow. I, fortunately, live light, so I really didn’t have to pack much. My computer, desk, all my books are still in boxes. I never unpacked my art supplies, all that’s really left to pack is my wardrobe, pull my artwork off the walls, pack my photo frames, and bring any perishables. The rest of the house can be left as is for Doug - as he plans on coming home for winter break. 

After we’re done washing the dishes, Leilani takes my hand and leads me into the bedroom. She slides out of her beach dress and stands in front of me in her bikini. She’s absolutely gorgeous. She brings me to the bed and has me sit down, then hits the clock radio to start playing. 

Leilani starts dancing suggestively to the music and starts to slowly strip her bikini off. I don’t know what possessed her to do a striptease for me this morning, but I’m not going to argue. My member is already responding to her flirtations, tenting my nightshirt. 

She then has me stand up, and provocatively dances around me as she pulls my night shirt off. When we’re both naked she gently pushes me back on to the bed. The look of passion and lust in her eyes is clear… I’m going to enjoy this morning. 

She starts off with a passionate kiss, and we moan and grind against each other. Leilani starts kissing down my neck, darkening her love bite from yesterday, and continues to kiss her way down my body. Yes, she loves leaving her mark when we make love… 

Leilani is more teasing that normal this morning, I almost feel like I have a female version of my boyfriend on top of me this morning, as she slowly, sensually teases my breasts, I start to sigh and moan, and grip the sheets, as she gradually brings me closer to orgasm. The buildup is painfully enjoyable. 

“Stop teasing…” I plead, needing release. 

“You want it?” She asks teasingly in a seductive tone.

“Yes!” I gasp, please!” I plead with her. 

“As you wish.” She says in a silky voice.

She hovers above my nipple, the anticipation is agonizing. When she finally clamps down, I cry out in passion and have the most intense boob-gasm I’ve every experienced. She keeps attacking my breasts as I groan and moan, and doesn’t stop till I collapse. 

She gives me a sly smile as I look up at the ceiling. “Wow! I’ve never gotten off so hard like that before!” I sigh. “You are amazing!” I bring my hand down and caress her cheek. 

She kisses my palm. “Ready for more?” her voice hot with passion. 

“Yes.” I say, letting out a deep breath. 

Leilani continues her teasing, slowly kissing down my body, savoring each part of my skin. When she gets down to my crotch, she kisses around my already hard member, and even sucks my nuts before licking the length of the shaft. I let out a lout gasp at the sudden attention, and then she goes back to kissing down the length, then licking back up. I don’t know how much longer I’m going to last before I get off. 

I glance down, and she’s timing my passion, and when I can’t take in anymore, she takes half the length deep in her mouth and sucks. 

“Oh!” is the only thing I can get out before I blow a larger load than I did earlier down her throat. Leilani doesn’t stop till I’m spent. 

“Wow!” I say as I can finally see again from the intensity of my orgasm. My vision clears to Leilani crawling back up my body and we share an intense kiss, I didn’t think our embraces could get anymore passionate, but she is really horny right now. 

“Care to repay the favor?” she asks huskily. 

“Lay down.” I smile and she lays beside me as I climb on top of her. 

“One good turn deserves another.” I say hotly as I start kissing down her body. 

So that we’re a matching couple, I leave a love bite in the exact same spot as she gave mine, and she whimpers, moans and holds my head as I passionately leave a mark that would show on her dark skin.   
I continue down her body, teasing her soft flesh as she did mine, and I have her moaning louder than she was yesterday. When I finally give in and get her off suckling her right breast, I barely give her time to recover before attacking the left, and get her off harder than the first. 

“Oh wow!” she says softly with a dreamy voice. “Now I know why you love people playing with your breasts so much…” 

I chuckle as I sensually kiss down her stomach, running my hands in circles to increase the pleasure. By the time I reach her crotch she’s soaking the sheets she’s so wet. I gently push her legs apart, and kiss all over her lower region, her thighs, her honey scent is heavenly, and I want to just dive in, but I’m determined to build her up to the most intense orgasm she’s every had this way. 

She whimpers, grabbing my hair, trying to get me to get closer to her vagina, as I lick the outside of her lips. She’s humping up at me, and I stop for a moment, and see the desperate need on her face. I then dive in and stick my tongue deep in her hole and she cries out in pleasure. I continue pleasing her hole and sucking on her folds, feeling her orgasm build up, just as she’s ready to reach the point of no return, I clamp down on her clit and start to hum as I gently lick the nubbin. Leilani cries of passion fill the room as she floods my face with her juices, and I keep at her clit till she can’t take it anymore and the slumps down in the bed. 

She coos and sighs, and lets out a deep breath. “Oh…. Wow…” is all she can say as she looks up at the ceiling. She looks down at me as I start climbing up her body. “The things you do to me!” she gasps in a soft distant voice. 

I give her a long loving kiss, as my revived erection pushes as her entrance. “Oh yes!” she cries out. “Fuck me!” she commands and I gladly oblige. 

She’s so wet I slide all the way in on the first gentle thrust, filling her completely. She digs her fingers into my back and gasps at the sudden feeling of our joining. I continue to slowly slide in and out of her as we kiss passionately, building each other up to more. She soon breaks the kiss as her she focuses on her first orgasm, she holds me close to her as the first wave hits and I keep going, each peak getting more intense, and her vagina getting more tight till I can’t hold it anymore and push myself all the way in and empty in her. She cries out as I fill her up, and then her face suddenly changes, she holds me tighter, locking our legs, and rolls us over so that she’s on top. 

Leilani becomes possessed, she keeps going at me harder, I have to hold onto her hips to stop her from accidentally popping out. She’s driven, I’ve lost count of how many orgasms she’s had, but she’s set on making me cum again. She moans and gasps, the sounds of our love making fill the room, I’m glad I live alone. With the intensity of her motions, I’m not going to last long, and she can somehow feel when I’m about to get off, for she suddenly pushes herself as hard against me as she can. My orgasm hits and she just grinds against me, and coos, closing her eyes and reveling in the feeling of my getting off deep inside of her. She collapses on top of me.

I think we passed out. We’re laying in bed, with her snuggled on top of me. Our Bodies still glistening with sweat, when my phone pops up a message.

-= Travis =- Leaving the house in 15, with picking up others, should be there in 30. 

It takes some effort to reply, I feel so happily drained. 

-= Rose =- Okay my love, will shower and meet you at the door. 

I’m glad we’ll have time for a shower before Travis picks us up. Leilani dreamily rests her head on my shoulder, reveling in post orgasmic bliss. 

“That was amazing.” She says at last, looking up at me. 

“Are you going to be able to walk after that, or are we going to have a repeat of yesterday morning?” I tease her. 

“I lost count how many times I got off!” she says dreamily. 

“You are incredible.” I say softly. “I am so drained, I don’t know if I can get hard again for awhile.” 

“That’s what I was aiming for.” She says with a cheeky grin. 

It takes some effort to sit up and Leilani holds me close to her, not wanting to let me go. So I shuffle to the end of the bed and carry her to the bathroom for our shower. She finally lets go as I turn on the water, and we work at cleaning each other, lathering our bodies softly, sensually, kneading each other’s backs and draining any tension that may have built up with the intensity of our love making. 

We towel each other off, and I dig out my bathing suit as Leilani slips into her bikini. She watches me as I fold my now flaccid member underneath myself. I squeeze my legs shut to force the boys up and pull the bathing suit up, holding it there so that my nuts don’t slide back down. I then pull on the rest of the red one piece suit. On the left breast is a lifeguard symbol with a large darker red emblem of Foxbury University on the stomach. Depending on how I move, the logo glistens. 

“Wow!” Leilani says. “It just looks like a large pussy mound!” she says in wonder, holding on to my hips, half leaning over, to get a closer look. She looks up at me. “That’s incredible! You do this all the time?!” 

“Almost every day.” I say to her. 

“Does it get uncomfortable?” She asks, it never occurred to her how I really hid my penis before. 

“Only when a certain girlfriend gets me all hot and excited.” I tease her.   
Leilani blushes and gives me a hug. 

We have enough time to gather the picnic blanket, towels, and my backpack, making sure I have lotion and burn cream in my bag. I grab a large brim white summer hat with a matching front-tie sheer embroidered mesh kimono. 

“Wow!” Leilani says as I hand her the blanket to carry. “You are stunning!”

I smile. There’s a honk outside and we head out, holding hands. 

“I figured she’d be over at your place when she teased you about coming over for breakfast.” Cassandra says from the rolled down passenger window. Her expression changes as Leilani and I saunter towards the van. 

“I’m dating the most beautiful redhead in Willow Creek.” She says in wonder as we approach the van. 

Zoe opens the door before moving to the back with her boyfriend. I catch a flash of a blue bikini, as her butt goes by. I look at Cassandra who’s still a little dumbstruck, and give her a long soft kiss. 

“I’ve been saying that for a few weeks Cass, now you believe me?” Travis chuckles beside her.   
Once I break our kiss and get in the back. “I thought she was amazing in her soccer outfit, and I’ve seen her in her cycling gear… but… that bathing suit shows everything!” she gasps. 

“It doesn’t show everything.” Says Leilani in a playful tone. “You should have seen how she just tucked her bits away, you wouldn’t even know she’s any different than any other girl!”

“That’s the whole point of tucking my love.” I tap her on the nose and she giggles. 

“Am I ever going to see that?” Cassandra turns and asks. 

“When you’re ready for it.” I wink at her and she turns and blushes. 

Travis chuckles at her reaction and then pulls out, heading towards downtown. 


	25. Arriving at the Beach

Travis pulls into the grocery store and we’re a group on a mission. I give my loves kisses before we split ways. Travis is getting the ice. Cassandra is getting snacks. I’m getting drinks, with Leilani deciding to follow me, to see if I need help carrying anything. Trent & Zoe have other ideas. 

I pick up a flat of juice, and then some sports drinks. Leilani suggests we get some water as well, and grabs a 12 pack, seeing as we already have so many other choices. 

We all get to till as Travis is paying for the ice. Trent has some pepperoni sticks and Zoe has a block of pre-sliced cheddar. Cassandra has beef jerky and trail mix. 

We put our purchases in the van, We’ll organize the cooler at the beach parking lot before carrying it down. It takes awhile to get a opening where Travis can just punch through. This corner needs a stop sign at least! Wow! I can feel the frustration from my boyfriend as he tries to find a safe opening. 

It’s early, and the beach is just opening, there are only a couple of cars here, so we should be able to find a good spot. We gather at the back of the van and Travis lays out the ice into the cooler, and then we push the drinks into the ice, and then lay the food on top - for the exception of Cassandra’s purchases, she puts those in her beach bag, as they don’t require refrigeration. 

I finally get a look at my other girlfriend. She’s wearing a strapless black one piece suit, that comfortably hugs her growing curves. She’s starting to develop a beautiful hourglass figure like her mother’s with her time at the gym. I’ve been working on her muscle tone, where as Travis I’ve been working on muscle build - seeing as he wants to start to look more masculine. Over her bathing suit she has a loose bohemian striped cardigan. That touch of colour really looks good on her.

Travis is wearing a simple pair or red swimming trunks, while Trent is matching his girlfriend with a blue pair of trunks with a yellow stripe on the sides. Zoe is stunning. She’s wearing a blue bikini that’s not hiding any of her beautiful feminine curves. Like Leilani she has already developed quite the figure, I feel Cassandra nudge me. 

“Not your puppy, quit staring at the lovely brunette.” She whispers in my ear, causing me to blush.   
I turn and give my girlfriend a loving kiss and she ‘mffs’ and sighs at the tenderness of my touch. “Sorry my love.” 

She leans against me. “I so much love your kisses.” She says dreamily.   
We make our way down to the beach and find a nice good spot right in the middle, close to the beach volleyball nets. Travis and I lay out the blankets so that we can all sit down, and we keep our bags beside the cooler. 

Tina is next to arrive. I’m going to love having her as a girlfriend. She has a plain white version of Cass’ cardigan, underneath is an orange string bikini. She’s carrying a large, folded beach umbrella as well as her own beach bag. 

As I get up she quickens her pace, with one hand free, she wraps her left arm around me and gives me a loving kiss. I gladly return her embrace. “Wow, I love your kisses!” she says catching her breath. “Good morning dear, you want to help me set up the umbrella?”

“Gladly darlin’.” I say with a smile.

We step away from the group, open the umbrella and stick the base between the two blankets, angling the umbrella to give maximum coverage for the afternoon, when the sun gets it’s hottest. We plan to be here all day. 

Zoe and Trent have already started building a sandcastle, Trent had brought two pails and some tools. It doesn’t take long for my loves to start helping them, Tina holds me as we watch the 5 of them work together to make a large sand fort. It’s still early in the morning, and the sand is damp enough to hold, Trent has the small pail holding water and also has a spray bottle, to keep the sand damp as they work. 

Amber and Brent arrive, walking from downtown, dragging a cooler of their own. Brent is wearing blue cargo trunks and a tie-dye shirt, while Amber is - like Tina - sporting a purple string bikini under lilac summer shirt. She doesn’t have the shirt tied, so it blows in the light breeze. Amber is built like the girlfriend in my arms. Lean muscle flexes as she pulls the wheeled cooler. Her stomach shows definite muscle tone and her legs are powerful. Brent is just a touch less muscular than my boyfriend, but he no longer has the slight pudginess he had at the beginning of the school year. 

I let go of Tina to give them hugs and we trade good mornings. 

“What’s in the cooler?” I ask. 

“Water and lunch.” Brent answers. As he sets their beach bags beside us, takes off his shirt and starts to apply sunscreen. 

“I know we were going to lunch at the cabana.” Amber says. “But this is a healthier option. I have carrot sticks, celery, and we made ham & eggs sandwiches before we left.”

“How early did you get to Amber’s place to make all this Brent?” Tina asks. 

“Well, I sort of stayed overnight.” Brent says hesitantly. I can see the ‘I got lucky’ grin on Ambers face as he says it.

“I’m happy for you two.” I give her a hug. 

“Can you do my back for my honey?” Brent asks Amber as he hands her the bottle of lotion.

“Certainly my love.” She says in a sultry tone.

That reminds me that we need to get our sunscreen on as well, seeing as I burn so easily. I pull out my bottle of sunscreen and call my loves over so that we can help put some on each other’s backs. They happily oblige and we form a circle just off-set of everyone with me applying sunscreen to Travis’s back, Travis is working on Leilani, Leilanis is working on Cassandra, and Cassandra is shyly finding the bare spots on mine. I notice that she tucks the cream just under the seam as well, just in case the suit moves a little. 

Tina looks at us in interest as we start working on each other’s legs before starting to apply her own front. I can feel the excitement from all of us. Despite Leilani draining me this morning, I may just get a hard-on yet if this gets any more intimate. We turn around and pass the bottle around again applying it to each other’s fronts. I’m really enjoying paying attention to my boyfriend’s torso, and I can tell by the lump in his shorts that he is as well. Travis is loving slowly slathering my neck and makes sure that Cassandra didn’t miss the front of my legs. I would swears he’s trying to tease me by paying attention to my upper thighs and it takes all my concentration not to get turned on by what he’s doing. 

Brent and Zoe are working on each other, and I glance over, and I can tell he’s enjoying it. I spot the bulge in his shorts, noting he’s about the same size as Travis, and mentally berate myself for thinking about my friend that way. He’s Zoe’s boyfriend, I shouldn’t be sexualizing him in that way!

“Who’s going to do my back?” Tina says in a seductive pout. 

I smile. “Let me help you my darlin’.”

Tina’s removes her summer top, and she looks so deliciously hot in her string bikini. I’m going to have trouble keeping my hands off her today! She coos and sighs as I purposefully sensually massage the cream into her back. I tease her further by sliding my fingers just within the band of her bottoms. She gasps as my fingers slide along her inner things. 

“I need you to give me a massage sometime.” She says in a silky voice, clearly turned on by what I’m doing. I give her rump a small slap to let her know I’m done, and she quickly turns around and gives me an even more passionate kiss than Thursday night. 

“Wow, Tina competes with Leilani in how she kisses Rose.” Zoe comments watching the two of us embrace for more than two minutes. 

“No hogging the girlfriend.” Leilani pouts, Tina and I break our kiss, giggle and rub noses. _I’m so turned on right now!_

“Let’s get into the water to cool off.” Cassandra suggests, taking my right hand. 

“Agreed.” I reply. 

I turn around, Tina takes hold of my left hand, Travis and Leilani are holding hands, and we all run into the water together. Soon as I’m deep enough I let go of my girlfriends and dive into the water. I soon feel Tina swimming beside me, and look over to her as we keep swimming underwater. 

She surfaces before I do, and I see us as a line. Me, Tina and Amber are in deep water, while the rest of our friends are still about waist deep. We look at each other and giggle, and then swim back to the group.   
I get cheeky, and dive underwater as we get close to our friends who are almost chest deep now. I swim around Cassandra, and suddenly grab her thighs as I poke my head between her legs. I can hear her suddenly yelp in surprise as I squat under her and start lifting her out of the water. She’s holding on to my hair for dear life as her legs settle on my shoulders. And I poke my head out of the water. I bounce a bit, settling her better on my shoulders and she starts to giggle at the impromptu shoulder piggyback. 

“That looks like fun!” Leilani says, and starts climbing on to Travis’ back.

He doesn’t resist, and helps her get on his shoulders by dipping deeper into to the water. She leaps onto his shoulders and giggles as he starts lifting her out of the water. 

Zoe thinks it’s fun too, and is soon on her boyfriends shoulders as well as we bounce around into chest deep water. 

Amber looks thoughtful, then dips into the water. Next thing we hear Brent suddenly yelp in surprise as she’s lifting him up. 

“I only thought it fair that the stronger of us lifts the other.” She says with a grin, and we all laugh. 

We start playing tug of war competitions. Leilani is the first to fall, Cassandra has her feet locked behind my back, and I have a firm grip on her legs. Because she works out as well, we’re most likely the strongest couple. 

As Leilani pops up for air after falling off Travis she whines. “No Fair! You are all stronger than us!”   
I wander over to her and give her a consolation kiss. “Sorry my love.” 

Next to go down is Zoe, she grabs onto Trent’s forehead as she falls, making him fall back with her. They both laugh as the surface and Trent puts his arms around her, giving her a loving kiss. 

“Sorry dear, they’re just too strong.” Trent apologizes as she nuzzles into his neck, legs and arms around him. 

The next challenge is unseating Brent. He has enough bulk to make it hard to push him over, and he’s easily a challenge for Cassandra how she’s almost half his size. Amber, sadly isn’t as strong as I am, so when I give a push forward, Trent finally falls over, He grasps Cassandra’s arm as he falls, and we all fall down as she’s not about to let go, but the momentum is too much for even me to stand up half-floating in chest deep water. 

We all separate and laugh as we surface. 

“That was fun!” Cassandra beams at our impromptu water play. 

I start walking to shallower water, and Cassandra holds on to my right side as I do. Leilani likes the idea and swims over to hold on to my left. Not to be left undone, I feel Tina grab the back of my shoulders as she climbs on to my back piggy-back style. I slowly get to waist deep water, 3 girlfriends holding on to me. I squat, and count to three. Before Cass and Leilani can respond, I bring my arms up throwing my girlfriends off of me - each of them flying about a meter before falling into the water. 

“You’re sneaky.” Tina giggles, giving the back of my neck a kiss. She puts her feet either side of my hips and crouches. I plant myself as she uses me to spring board backwards into the water. 

“That was fun!” Leilani says as she walks back to me.

“Want to go further?” I ask and she gives me a quizzical look. “I used to do this with my cousins, they love it!”

I explain motioning her to come close. I squat in the water. “Okay, put your foot in my hands.” I form a cradle with my fingers. She does as she’s told. “Now, put your hands on my head, and crouch. When I tell you, straighten out.” 

Leilani nods and does as she’s told. “Ready?” I ask, and she nods. “Now, 1.. 2.. 3!” I say and push up, between my pushing up, and Leilani straightening out, she suddenly goes flying in the air! She shrieks and flays her arms and legs before landing 2 meters from me in the water. 

When Leilani surfaces she’s laughing. “That was fun!” she says. 

“Me next!” Cassandra says excitedly. 

I wait for Leilani to move out of the way as I get Cass settled in my hands. “Ready?” I ask and she nods. “1.. 2.. 3!” I say straighten out. 

As she’s more prepared and lighter, Cassandra goes further than Leilani. She tucks into a cannon ball as Travis moves out of the way. She makes a huge wave, splashing all of our friends. They’re all laughing as she surfaces. This is so much fun!

“My turn!” Tina announces, biting her lower lip. 

She looks back to make sure no one is in the way, as I crouch and prepare. She’s heavier than my other girlfriends, due to her muscle mass, so this is going to be a harder toss. I only hope that she springboards off of me like she did my back. 

We nod when we’re each ready, and I crouch and start counting to 3. She waits till I’m about halfway through my motion before springing herself. The combined push flings her 2 meters in the air. She straightens out, curving her back and does a near flawless back dive into the water. 

As she surfaces she gives me a grin to my quizzical look. “You’re not the only one who took swim league in the city before coming to Willow Creek.” She comments with a smile. We smile to each other as she swims back to the others. 

“That looks like so much fun!” Says Pam, as her a Penny start walking into the water. “Can I be next?”

“Hey girls! Sure, come here.” I say with a grin. 

The sisters are wearing matching brown one-piece swimsuits, and Penny bounces anxiously as Pam gets into position. We wait to make sure the coast is clear. Pam canon-balls like my girlfriend did, creating an even larger wave. The all laugh as she surfaces, as I get Penny into position. We wait till her sister has moved beside Tina, and I toss her like Cassandra, she goes flying in the air, she twists and does a dive into the water as she enters. 

When it’s Travis’ turn I purposefully pull my hands back, forcing him into a somersault as he flies into the air. He yelps at the unexpected twist and clumsily lands in the water. He shakes his head, looking annoyed at first, till everyone’s laughter gets him smiling. 

Brent has to be the heaviest of them all, so he sadly doesn’t go very far as I toss him. 

Trent comes up to me. “Toss me into a somersault like you did Travis!” he says excitedly as I crouch, waiting him to put his foot into my cradle. 

I nod and we count down, I toss him, pulling my hands back. Trent starts spinning and he tucks himself into a ball, doing 2 full turns before performing a canon ball in the water. His wave is the biggest of all, it even reaches me. 

We all laugh as I join my friends in deeper water. “Okay, I need to take a break, my arms are getting tired.” I say, and the girls give me pouts - as they were hoping to go again. 

“Lets get a snack!” Tina announces and we all agree. 

We go out of the water together. Cassandra giggling as I carry her on my back while my other girlfriends each hold an arm. 

Angela and Brianna are setting up towels beside ours. “Looks like we missed all the fun.” Angela says as we get closer. 

“We’ll make another go of it after a break.” I say with a smile as the sisters give us all hugs.   
They brought a cooler of their own, unsure if we had enough food for everyone. 

We pull out the carrots, celery, and beef jerky. Angela and Briana take grapes out of their cooler and we put them into a bowl to share. Water gets passed around and we sit down together on our blanket ensemble. I have Tina and Cassandra leaning against my sides, and Leilani has her head in my lap while her legs lay across Travis’ lap. She giggles as I feed her grapes. 

Pam watches us as we cuddle together. “You 5 are incredibly snuggly.” She smiles. “I can never get over how you gather so many love interests.” _I guess I am up to 5 now in my love circle…_

I glance over to Zoe and Trent, and they blush before cuddling with each other. Yeah, I know you two would love to join the snuggle pile. I just smile at them. As the feed each other. 


	26. Beach Fun

After eating we decide that we’ll let our food settle before going back into the water. While the sisters work on getting sunscreen on each other. The rest of us go back to working on the sand castle. 

With my artistic talents I start shaping things better, adding windows, and doorways. We start gathering a crowd as we have this meter and a half tall rendition of a medieval castle that Trent and I saw in our history books. The girls even found some sticks and so we have a drawbridge and even some flag poles as we start finishing up our piece. 

The sisters join in with the crowd of onlookers, taking pictures of our work. We’re asked by more than one person to pose as a group behind our creation. 

“It’s too bad that there’s no sandcastle competition this weekend.” I hear a familiar voice.   
I turn and there’s Beth’s mother. “Mom!” I exclaim and bounce over to her and give her a big hug. 

“Ooooh” She says as I squeeze her tight. “You do give wonderful hugs dear.” I take her hand and we go back to the group. I introduce her to all my friends and teammates. And everyone nods in greeting. “So how many of them are you dating dear?” mom asks and my lovers and girlfriends all blush. I point them out and her eyes widen. “You have four now. How do you manage spending time with them all?” 

“It’s not easy.” I say bashfully.

Cassandra decides she needs a more formal introduction, she saunters up to me, placing her left arm around me before extending her right. “I’m Cassandra Goth.” She smiles. “You’re Blooming Roses are incredible! Thank you for making them.” 

Those who’ve had them smile and nod in agreement, those who haven’t look at the comment in confusion. 

“I’m glad you mentioned them.” She smiles. She turns back and Dad’s carrying 3 pastry boxes. “One of our customer’s said they saw you all on the beach, so I thought I would bring a surprise to have with your lunch.”

“Thanks Mom!” my face lights up and I give her a hug before bouncing over to Beth’s father and freeing him of his burden. 

“Is that what I think it is?” Leilani says all excitedly.

“Hmm.” I can smell them from here.” Travis says, licking his lips. 

I put the boxes in the middle of my blanket, and Travis opens the first box. 

“Oh! These are so fresh!” Cassandra moans happily as she starts eating hers. 

I watch my friends for a moment and smile. I turn to my brother’s in-laws and give them another hug. “Thanks Mom. Thanks Dad.” I say with a grin. “We really appreciate it.”

“I thought you’d all enjoy a treat.” Mom says as Dad’s walking around the sand castle and taking pictures. “You’ve never called anyone else ‘Dad’ before.” She smiles. Leaving me to blush, I hadn’t even realized it. “We’ll get some of the nicer shots to you so you can put them on that social media page of yours.” She continues. “I’ll want to take other pictures of all of you. And then a couple of more with those love interests of yours.” 

I nod. “Hey everyone!” Everyone looks towards me. “We’re going to take some group pĥotos!” I announce.” And everyone puts down their pastries on a paper plate that Lewis sisters brought with them. 

We take pictures of everyone. Then we pose as our soccer group. Mom has me then pose with all of my love interests. Then she has us doing couple poses. 

Making the sandcastle took time, and - with the pastries - we all can’t swim yet. Once Mom & Dad head off down the beach for a walk, we decide it’s a good time to finish lunch. Amber takes out sandwiches, and passes them around. We pull out the juice, and all settle down for lunch. This is so much fun spending time with my 12 closest friends. I look around the group as we quietly eat, making small talk about who’s playing volleyball after lunch. I never imagined, when I first moved here, that I would have a dozen close friends. The fact that I’m dating nearly half of them is even more surprising. How I went from nothing to popular in less than a year constantly baffles me. I don’t show it to my friends, but it is almost overwhelming at times, and I have to keep reminding myself to relax and just be myself - rather than worry how I’m acting around others. My friends love me for who I am. I don’t have to put on an act, or pretend to be someone I’m not, to be accepted. That alone is the biggest comfort of all. I wonder how Susan and her cheerleaders fake friendships or put on different attitudes? Susan has shown me, when we’re alone, that she’s not the same person with me as she is with her bubble-head cheer squad. 

Speaking of Susan… I look down the beach, and - sure enough - there they are. Susan, her cheerleaders, and their boyfriends are about 6 meters away on the beach. One of them notices Tina & I looking their way, then nudges Susan. She takes a moment staring back, putting her hand above her eyes to block the sun. A smile appears on her lips, before she waves to us. I wave back and smile. The motion stuns some of her friends, and she berates them for thinking any different of my friends and I.

After lunch we reapply sunscreen. Even waterproof sunscreen only lasts for so long. We head to the volleyball courts. I’m happy to notice there’s actually 3 nets, the 3rd must have been put up while we were in the water. 

We set teams. Tina, Amber, Zoe & Trent are set against Cassandra, Travis, Leilani and I. The Lewis and Stuart sisters decide to do a 2v2 game. Brent offers to sit on the side line and watch. The 8 of us are pretty well evenly matched. Trent & Travis aren’t used to our play style, and tend to be the weaker links when it comes to ball control. Meanwhile the Lewis sisters are clearly better than the other girls and they’re ahead on points. Angela and Brianna cheer as they win their game, and then they all turn to watch us as we finally give up at a 10-10 tie match. 

Pam pulls out some Frisbees, and announces we should play a game of Ultimate Frisbee in shallow water. We find a portion of beach away from the younger kids and start our game. It’s both fun and challenging to play in ankle to knee deep water. Fun as the constant splashing is helping keeping us cool, where it’s hard to skip a disk off the water, and trying to run in the deeper parts slow you down. After an hour later we decide to call the game to an end, and we head into the water for a swim to finish cooling off. 

It feels so nice to just float and relax in the water, swimming lazily around. My girlfriends and boyfriend are rarely very far, and I find myself drifting between them for kissing and snuggling. At one point Cassandra decides that Travis is monopolizing my time too much and wraps her arms above my chest as Travis and I hold each other in deep water. I look behind me and she gives me a kiss and smiles. 

“This is so nice.” She lets out a deep breath, holding on to my shoulders and leaning against the back of my neck. 

“It sure is. “Tina says coming up to my front as Travis lets go of me. 

Travis doesn’t have long to complain about the lack of affection as Leilani wraps herself around our boyfriend, giving him a passionate kiss. 

“Oh wow.” He says when she finally lets go. She gives him a coy smile. 

“Move girlfriend, I need to give Rose hers next.” Leilani announces and Tina lets go of me as Leilani repeats what she gave Travis to me. 

Cassandra meanwhile is gently kissing my shoulder and neck, and it’s really starting to wake up my tuck and making things uncomfortable. 

“Who’s hungry?” I announce as Leilani finally breaks her embrace. 

“Sounds like a good idea.” Tina smiles. 

My girlfriends let go of me so that they can swim back to shore. I take a moment to re-arrange myself before joining them. 

“They turn you on that much.” Travis whispers in my ear as he swims up to me. 

“Too much,” I mumble. 

“Too bad this is a public beach, I’m sure one or more of them would love to relieve you of that…” He says in a low voice. “As for myself, I’ve been wanting this since lunch.” He grazes my backside, and his thumb sneaks into my bottoms and he squeezes my right cheek. I moan in response. 

“You can be such a horrible tease!” I turn and give him a kiss. We sort of move slowly together, kissing while he continues to massage my butt-cheek. 

“Stop monopolizing the girlfriend.” Tina chides Travis from beside me. “Or, you know. Two can play that game…” She teases. 

“Oh really?” Travis says almost as a challenge. 

“Really.” Tina say, and I feel her hand sneak under my leg band as she grabs my left cheek and mirrors his action. 

I moan in response as their thumbs pull my cheeks apart and they thumb my hole. _Oh wow that feels so good!_ I wasn’t expecting Tina to be so bold, but I’m definitely not going to stop what she’s doing.

“Okay, I think we’ve teased her enough.” She lets go of my butt, and gives Travis’ hand a slap. 

“Fine.” He grumbles and lets go as well. 

I sort of drift there in bliss. _Wow that felt good!_ Tina giggles and takes my hand dragging me along with her as she continues to swim back to shore. 

We’re holding each other arms around each other’s waste as we get to shallow water and have to walk. Brent takes the pepperoni and cheese out of the cooler, and passing them around as Zoe gets out the sports drinks. I’m glad I got a whole case with 13 of us here. 

Pam and Penny are handing out granola bars to those who want a bit more to munch on, and we all sit there and enjoy our time together. I’m leaning against Travis as my girls are all snuggled up around me, when Susan and her boyfriend come by. 

“Hey!” She says with a smile. 

“Hey Susan.” I smile. “Enjoying the sun?” I notice her wrist is no longer bound. “How’s your wrist?” 

“I’m in physio now.” Her smile widens. “Doctor says I’ll be able to be back on the cheer team next month, but no handstands till after winter break.”

“That’s fantastic!” I smile. Can’t wait to see you and the girls cheer on the field.”

“Thanks.” She smiles and blushes a bit at my flirtation tone. “Some kids tried to kick your sandcastle down, but Paul and I stopped them.” 

“Thank you very much.” Leilani says from my lap. “We put a lot of work in that.” 

“Sandra’s in the media club.” Susan continues. “I’d expect your creation to show up in the next school paper.” 

“That would be so rad!” Zoe says happily and gives Trent a kiss.

Susan looks around at us, noting the only one’s not snuggling together are the sisters. “Your lot is all so affectionate and snuggly, it’s cute.” She smiles. 

“Thank Rose.” Travis says. “She’s tends to encourage public displays of affection. He gives my shoulder and neck a kiss as an example. I sigh and lean against his shoulder, giving him more access to my neck. 

“Wow, you guys don’t hold back.” Paul says watching Travis continue to kiss my neck.

“Some of us don’t have relationships yet.” Penny says. 

“Rose is a little taken, so we’ll need to find other dates for the Harvest Dance.” Pam says boldly, then blushes realizing she just admitted her crush on me. 

My foot finds Pam, and I slowly bring my big toe up and down her back. Wiggling my toes against her shoulder. Pam sighs at my touch and leans back against my foot, somehow knowing it’s me. 

“Wow, you have that affect on everyone!” Susan says suddenly surprised. 

“It’s a gift.” Tina says leaning against my shoulder. She’s found the rest of the grapes and munch on some. 

“It’s just knowing to share.” Cassandra says from my lap. Like usual, she’s using my chest as a pillow, I swear, it’s her favorite thing to do when we snuggle. 

I snatch a grape from Tina and feed it to Travis. “Hey!” She says in mock insult as Travis sucks my fingers after feeding him. 

The girls all laugh as I pull my fingers away from my boyfriend, that’s really starting to turn me on. 

"Once you start loving Rose, it’s really hard to find someone else who can satisfy you the way she does.” Leilani says in a sultry tone, dipping her hand into the bowl of grapes. “Except maybe Travis, he knows how to please a lady.” 

I lean forward as Leilani leans past me. Giving my two lovers a chance to kiss as Travis approves of her comment. 

“Wow, you do really share each other.” Brianna says in amazement. 

Travis is eating the other half of the grape Leilani had in her mouth. she gives my neck and shoulder a kiss before leaning against me again. “Of course, this way no one gets left out.”

I look to my left and I can see a look of mischief on Tina’s face. I lean towards her ear and whisper. “Do you want to join in on our fun, I’ve never tried a foursome before.” 

Tina moans, and blushes. “You’re incorrigible!” she gives me a sly smile and feeds me a grape before leaning against me again. 

“Well, um.. We’ll leave you guys to whatever.” Paul says suddenly embarrassed. I think it was a little too much for him. 

I have to remind myself that this is a public beach, and we probably shouldn’t get too carried away - as there are kids nearby. He pulls Susan along, and we wave as they leave. 

“I think that was a little too much for him.” Cassandra grins as she looks up at me. 

I lean forward and give her a kiss. “Yeah, and maybe too much for others too.” We should probably lay off a bit before we anger any parents.” 

Leilani gives a disappointed sigh. “Okay, public beaches aren’t as fun. Next time lets go to that swimming hole you were talking about.”

“Swimming hole?” Tina asks curiously. 

Travis smiles. “Before they built this beach, there’s an old swimming hole that was popular, just north of our neighbourhood off the school road. I brought Rose there for some swimming and.. Yeah, stuff like that.” He ends up blushing.

“I remember the place.” Zoe says with a fond smile. “We used to go there as kids.”

“Amber brought me there last last weekend.” Brent smiles dreamily. 

“So there’s where you two started?” I tease them and they both give knowing smiles. 

“Her parents don’t seem to mind.” Brent smiles at her and they kiss affectionately. 

“Dad says he keeps me out of trouble, and out of the shop.” Amber giggles, kissing him again. 

“Your parents don’t mind if you’re sleeping together?!” Leilani says almost too loud and puts her hand over her mouth and looks around to see if anyone else has noticed. 

Amber leans against her boyfriend. “I’ve been on the pill for years now to help with my cycle, it’s not like he’s going to get me pregnant. It’s not like he’s my first boyfriend.” 

“No, I’m just the best boyfriend she’s had.” Brent boast and gives her a wink. 

“You bet that sweet tush of yours you are.” Amber says in a seductive tone and they kiss a bit deeper this time. 

“I can’t believe how we’re all so candid on stuff like this.” Brianna says blushing, leaning her back against her sister, using each other as back-rests. 

I lean my head back and look at Travis lovingly. “It’s the perk of dating a geek, unlike jocks, they’re more fixated on sex, once you get them started, they’re amazing in bed!” I say softly giving his cheek a kiss. Travis blushes, and turns his head to that we can kiss. 

Trent looks thoughtful for a moment, and Zoe whispers something in his ear and has him blushing. I don’t hear the full comment, but it has to do about what he has between his legs. 

“What about you two?” Tina pokes Trent. 

“We’re not at that point in our relationship yet.” Brent says blushing deeper. “Though Zoe seems to think I’m not going to have much trouble keeping her happy.” 

“With what I’ve felt so far down here.” Her hand brushes his crotch. “I’ll definitely be happy once we decide to go further.” She purrs, causing him to blush more. She surprises him by giving him a deep loving kiss and they both give soft moans as they continue. 

“Okay, down you two.” Cassandra warns them, noticing we’ve gained a bit of negative attention. 

They break their kiss, Zoe motions her hand and Trent turns, leaning against one of the coolers, Zoe settles in his lap, and they clasp hands as they settle. 

“That is an amazing sandcastle!” Comes a voice to our left, and we look over and smile. “Mind if I take a picture of it?” 

“Not at all.” Cassandra smiles. “Be our guest.” 

“Can I have a picture who those while built it as well?” he smiles. 

“Sure!” I say and we all untangle ourselves and gather around our creation.

Trent notices it’s starting to dry out and crumble in some places. From a distance, he sprays the sandcastle, getting it damp again, patches up a few spots and then joins us in for the picture. 

We give our best smiles and he takes a few shots.

“Thank you all so much.” He smiles. “If my editor loves this, you’ll be on Monday’s front page.” He hands us his card and heads over to the volleyball court to take more pictures. 

“Oh my gosh! This is so amazing!” Zoe says excitedly. She hops in Trent’s arms and gives him a quick kiss. 

We all agree that it’s going to be amazing if our creation gets featured in the town paper. 


	27. Afternoon at the Beach & Supper

“You know, I could go for another swim.” Tina announces, and puts her hand out. 

“Sure.” I smile and take her hand and we run down to the water. 

We run into the water, diving together and swim out to the buoy line. We then turn and swim back, keeping pace with one another. We get back to chest deep water when we nearly run into an older man in his 40s. 

“You girls are awful affectionate with one another.” He says in a strong southern accent. 

Tina puts her arms around me protectively. She glares at him. “You got a problem with that mister?” she asks in a threatening tone. 

He looks at us for a moment, the water isn’t as murky at this depth, he looks at my arms as my biceps flex when I put them around Tina’s shoulders. His eyes grow wide, the sudden realization that we’re both probably stronger than he is - with him being a couch potato and all. He suddenly backs up a bit. 

He puts up his hands. “Um. No, sorry to bother ya’ all. Have a nice afternoon.” 

He moves aside as Tina shifts, kicking her legs while holding me. I drift behind her and we both keep our eyes on him as we swim by.

We’re forced to walk once we reach waist deep and we both stand up. Tina puts her arm around me, glancing back to see if he’s still staring at us. 

“Conservative stuck up wanker, how dare he?!” She snaps annoyed. 

“You are too cute.” I say, kissing her cheek. 

Tina looks thoughtful for a moment as we walk back to our friends. Zoe, Trent and the Lewis sisters are missing. I can hear their shouts coming from the volleyball area. Pam and her sister and fussing over the castle to make sure it doesn’t dry up and crumble. 

“I’m going to have to deal with this now that we’re dating, aren’t I?” she looks to me concerned. 

“First girlfriend?” I say, and she nods. “Yeah, we’re bound to hit a homophobe or two this year.” I reply sadly. “I’m not going to let it dissuade showing my love for you.” I say sweetly, and she smiles, giving me a kiss.

“I can’t believe how much I love you.” She says after we break our kiss. I caress her cheek and she leans her head on my shoulder. 

“What are you two conspiring?” Leilani teases us. “And who was that guy out there?” 

“Someone who can’t keep his mouth to himself.” I grumble annoyed. 

“Homophobic prick.” Tina adds as we settle down on the blanket. Tina snuggles into my lap and leans against my shoulder. “You’re like a muscular teddy bear.” She coos. _That’s the second girl that’s called me that…_

I spot a motion to my left, and look over. Fortunately Tina is snuggled against my right arm, I let go of her in time to catch the Frisbee heading for my head. 

“Oh my gosh! Sorry!” A boy shouts as he runs up to us. He’s out of breath, and puts his hands on his knees, stopping a meter away so as to not kick sand onto our blankets. “My sister is just starting to learn to throw, we didn’t mean to hit you.” 

I smile. “That’s okay.” I flip the disk. “Ready?” and he nods. I give the disk a soft toss and he catches it awkwardly with both hands. “Looks like you need a little practice yourself.” I say teasingly, and he blushes. 

“Thanks!” He says and runs off to join his sister.

“You really love children, don’t you?” Tina says watching the boy run off. 

“I come from a big family.” I smile and kiss her forehead. “Most of my cousins are younger than my brother and I, as both of my parents are the eldest children. Mom comes from a family of 7, my father from a family of 4.”  
“That sounds like a lot of people around the table during the holidays.” Tina responds. 

I smile. “Yeah, 20 to 30 all piled into my grandparents’ house north of the city. I think it’s what led my parents to want to have a house of their own instead of a small little townhouse in the lower east end.”

“That’s a tough part of town.” Tina comments. 

Travis and Leilani are quietly watching us talk, snuggled together much like we are. 

I chuckle. “Yeah, maman says that Dave had gotten into four fights by the time he was 6. So when I started getting older, they decided it wasn’t a safe place to raise a family.” I look thoughtful for awhile. “I sometimes wonder which would have been worse.” 

“I think you would have been beaten worse in the city.” Tina says. 

“Is it that bad a place to live?” Leilani says finally speaking. 

“It’s an area rife with gangs and drug problems, yeah. Even in the North end, we call that area of town the ghetto, and where I lived wasn’t that much better.” Tina says with a grim smile. “My dad went back to college. Got offered a Coast Guard job in Twinbrooks, so we moved here before I started high school. Very glad to be out of the city.” She smiles and snuggles in more. 

“Why down here and not up in Twinbrooks.” Travis asks. 

“Mom liked the property prices and neighbourhoods here better.” Tina smiles. 

“What we all talking about?” Cassandra comes back from the cabana, ice cream in hand. 

I lean back and look at her. “Where’s my ice cream?” as she hands cups to Travis and Leilani. 

“I thought you two were still out in the water.” Cassandra says. She leans forward and gives me a kiss in apology. 

“You know what that means?” I look down at Tina. 

“Ice cream?” she looks up at me hopefully. 

“Ice cream!” I grin. 

Cassandra takes a step back, as I don’t ask Tina to move, she knows I’m up to my antics. I unfold my legs, picking Tina up bridal style, and gasps at the sudden movement. She eeps and giggles as drop her legs, twist, grabbing her legs again, pulling her around to my back. She wraps her legs around me as I lean down an grab my wallet out of my bag’s front pocket, her arms wrap around my shoulders. 

She laughs and giggles as I start jogging off to the cabana. I look behind me to better adjust her on my back and see Cassandra smile and shake her head. Tina meanwhile is like a kid and yells ‘weee’ as she rides on my back. 

We arrive at the Cabana and I put her down. She’s all giggles and leans against me. “You could have let me walk on my own.” She smiles at me affectionately. 

“Where’s the fun in that?” I ask her as we get in line. 

“You’re so strong…” she lets out a deep breath as she holds on to my arm. 

A little girl looks back at us and tugs her mom’s shirt. The woman looks back, at us for a moment. Tina and I are rubbing noses affectionately and she smiles. 

“That’s okay honey, that’s what people act like when they love each other.” She says to the little girl. 

I smile and wink at the little girl, she suddenly hides behind her mother, then pokes her head back out, smiles and gives a shy wave. 

The woman and girl get their order, and the girl waves at us again saying “bye bye” before starting to lick her ice cream cone. We wave back at her. Tina and I order sundays with strawberries. Soon we’re slowly walking back to the others. 

“What did you get?” Cassandra asks once we’re within speaking range.

“Strawberry sundays.” Tina says, relishing hers. “You?” 

“Caramel.” Cassandra replies. “Wanna taste?” 

Tina nods and they take a few moments digging into each other’s dishes. I feed Cassandra a spoonful of mine to make things even, and she does the same for me. 

Leilani is taking a picture of us, and giggles. “You two look cute feeding each other.” 

We all cuddle under the shade of the beach umbrella, eating ice cream to cool off. “I’m going to be so fried tomorrow” Travis looks down at the pink forming on his legs. “Even with your sunscreen.” He looks at me.   
“Imagine the sunburn you would have had without it!” I say, knowing I’m soon going to be pink like him - if not already.

“I’m not going to have to worry about that.” Cassandra says with a smug voice. 

“Some of us weren’t born with an olive skin tone.” Tina grumbles, or darker like Leilani. 

“What’s a sunburn?” Leilani says in an innocent voice. 

“Cheeky.” I respond and she grins.

“Good thing you love me?” she says teasingly. 

“Good thing for you, yes.” I say giving her a sly smile. 

We all laugh and go back to happily eating our ice cream. This is so much fun, possibly more fun than when I went up to Britechester. 

We spend the rest of the afternoon swimming and playing more volleyball. The beach was too full by now for Frisbee or to do the tossing game. I’m glad none of the girls bring it up again. One or more of us stay around the umbrella, more to guard the castle than worry about our things being stolen. Our castle has gotten so much attention today. A few other groups have even built their own. As we get closer to supper time, larger crowds start an up un-official sandcastle competition. 

From the talk I hear as we walk around to see everyone else’s work, ours is still the winning design. Though this group of seniors have made an amazing dragon sculpture. They’re not actually from here, they live up in Newcrest, and came down for the beach. Tina and Cassandra hold on to me as we chat with the boys. A couple of them keep giving my girls funny looks, as they ignore the boys’ flirting. 

Finally one of them gets bold to ask the question. “Are you three, like, dating or something?” 

“We sure are.” Cassandra says sweetly, giving me an adoring smile. 

“Wow.” Says the boy beside him. “We don’t have girls like that up home.” 

“None that you’re aware of.” Tina says teasingly. “I’m pretty sure I spotted two girls on the soccer team hold hands when we played against them.” 

“No way!” says the first boy. 

“Dear, don’t start any rumours.” I say in a scolding tone. “Just cause we’re both on the soccer team and dating, doesn’t mean other teams are like that.” 

“Sorry honey.” Tina says leaning against me more, then reaching up and giving me a kiss on the cheek. 

“Come on, lets go check out the other sculptures.” Cassandra says, nudging me. 

We wave goodbye to the boys as they scratch their heads. Three well toned girls, walking arm and arm down the beach. We turn more than a few heads as we continue down the beach. Outside of a few odd stares, the occasional annoyed glare, no one challenges us. With Tina and I both so muscular, Cass not far behind, it seems no one wants to challenge three athletic girls from showing public affection. 

At the end of the day, we drain the water from the coolers -most of the ice having melted. We clean up all of our stuff, tossing packaging in the appropriate garbage and recycling bins. 

“What are you doing for supper?” Tina asks me as we walk back to the parking lot. 

“I have no idea, but I need to empty more of what’s in the fridge before I move tomorrow.” I say thoughtfully. 

“You could always cook for us…” Leilani smiles. 

“You mean I could finally have some of Rose’s home cooking?” Cassandra says hopefully. 

“You really want me to cook for ya’all?” I say in surprise. I get nods from most of my friends. “Who am I to say no, then.” I smile. 

My girlfriends are all grinning as we walk to Travis’ van. We say goodbye to Pam, Penny, Angela and Brianna, their parents respectively are waiting. The girls had texted their parents about 15 minutes ago. We trade hugs with Amber and Brent, as they head back downtown to Amber’s place. 

“At this rate, those two are likely to start living together by graduation.” Tina jokes. I give her belly a poke and she giggles. 

The rest of us all climb into Travis’ van. Before leaving, they’re all texting family to let them know that they won’t be home for supper. We plan on doing supper and watching movies together. Once it’s acknowledged that everyone is allowed to stay, we drive off to my place. 

We all pile out of the van, Leilani waves to her dad as he’s standing at the barbecue, making supper. He spots us, waves back as we slowly start filing into the house. 

“So, what’s for supper?” Tina asks as we’re taking our shoes off. 

“Hmm.. I could probably make a stir fry, get rid of the last of my veggies.” I reply. “Meat’s all frozen though.” 

“I can take care of that.” Tina says with a smile. 

Zoe, Brent and Leilani settle into the living room, none of them know how to cook, so they stay out of the way. I set a double batch of rice going in the steamer. Cassandra is helping me cut the veggies and Travis is hunting for all the spices and sauces we’ll need. Tina is running the frozen meat, still in it’s package, under a tap to soften it up. I start up the wok pan with some oil and water, she’s taking out my largest knife and slowly slicing the beef into strips. Once that’s done, she does the same to the chicken, and livers. 

“You’re putting liver in there?” Cassandra asks in surprise, and Tina makes a ‘shhh’ motion. 

“When you cut it up small enough, no one will notice it’s in there and it adds extra iron to the meal.” She says softly. 

I smile as I start cooking the broccoli and cauliflower first. I stir them, and then cover them while I give them a bit extra time to cook. 

“Where did you learn how to cook?” Travis asks as he watches her expertly cut the meat in thin slices. 

“Before my dad started with the coast guard job, both of my parents worked, so I learned how to cook with my older brother.” Tina replies. 

“Where’s your brother now?” Cassandra asks. 

“He’s attending Britechester, going into media publishing.” She smiles. 

I add the carrots, celery, peppers, mushrooms and toss in some frozen corn for colour. I crank up the heat on the stove and start stir frying the contents, adding in soy, ginger, curry and dash of lemon to the pan as it really starts to sizzle. 

I scoot over as Tina brings the cast iron pan up and starts frying some onions in oil. “Once they start to caramelize, I’ll add in the meat.” She says and I nod to her.

While we cook, I point out where the dishes, glasses and cutlery are. Travis and Cassandra start setting the table. It’s going to be cramped with 7 of us at my kitchen table, but I don’t have a dining room in this house. Cassandra gets the extra chairs from the bedrooms, fortunately I have enough seating - even though the extra 3 chairs are mismatched. 

Once everything is all cooked, Tina pours the meat mixture into the veggies and I add a bit more soy sauce to the mix before putting a lid on it, and turn off the heat. 

“We’ll let that simmer on residual heat for a couple of minutes.” I say as I go into the fridge and get out juice, milk, bread and butter for the table. 

Once the table is read, Tina calls everyone to eat.

Leilani turns off the TV, and rubs her belly. “Wow that smells amazing!” she says as she comes into the kitchen. 

I have everyone pass me their plates, as I dish up a portion for everyone. My friends are gracious enough to wait for me to sit down before we start digging into our meal. 

“Rose… you and Tina are using chopsticks.” Zoe comments as she pokes at her plate.

“Living in the city, you learn how to eat cultural dishes, using the right utensils.” Tina responds before I can. 

“You’re eating right-handed tonight.” Travis comments to me. 

“I don’t want to be rubbing elbows with anyone eating with my left hand.” I reply 

“You can eat with either hand?” Zoe looks up in surprise. “I never noticed that before.”

“Well, I don’t use utensils often at school, and I write predominantly with my right hand, as left handed writing is just, well, awkward.” 

“I’ve seen her draw during our projects.” Trent comments between bites. “She draws with either hand, it’s amazing!” 

Zoe looks thoughtful. “I never noticed that when we’ve worked on our Geo project.” 

“That’s cause you were too busy writing the essay to go with it.” I give her a wink and she blushes. 

“Well, I noticed you can write upside down with your right hand.” Zoe smiles. “We’ll sit across from each other on those double tables, and you just reach forward, adding corrections to my notes.” 

“You can write upside down?” Tina comments. 

“And sideways with either hand.” Cassandra finishes for me. “She helps Leilani and I all the time and she never asks me to flip or move the paper. She just reaches over and starts to write or draw.”

“Wow…” Tina says in wonder. 

“My mother got me this book when I was 12, called “Drawing from the right side of the brain.” I start. “See, your mind usually works opposite to your dominant hand.” I explain. “So right handed people use the left side of their brain - which is where your scientific, mathematical, logic and analysis comes from. Creativity, art and imagination are on the right side of the brain, which means that left-handed people are generally more artistic than right-handed people.”

“Amazing.” Cassandra says before taking a bite of her supper. 

“The book is aimed to teach right-dominant artists how use the right side of their brain - usually by drawing upside down. It forces the mind to also mirror the task, pushing to a right-sided brain activity.”

“Can I borrow that book sometime?” Travis asks. I was expecting my artistic geek to have interest in the book. 

“Sure. But once Brent sees that book, he’ll want to use it too…” I put my hand on Travis’ beside me. “But after the move hun. All my books are still in boxes, and I don’t want to dig them out.” 

“Understood my love.” Travis smiles. He takes my hand and kisses it, before letting go and going back to eating. 

“When do you move tomorrow?” Leilani asks sadly. 

“Not sure, though - knowing beth - she’ll be leaving the café to her cousin Carla for the afternoon and come get me after lunch.” 

“How big of a family are the Simmons?” Tina asks. 

“Hmm.. Dave told me once a year ago…” I say thoughtfully. “Beth has two bothers: Doug & Collin. Meanwhile Mom’s got a sister, and Dad has 3 siblings.” I look around the table. “I’ve only really gotten to know Doug and Carla so far. Carla works with mom in the bakery. Her brother-in-law Munroe works in the back, I’ve only seen glances of him, and I’ve not met the rest.”

Travis looks at me quizzically. “You call Beth’s parents Mom & Dad?” 

I blush. “They asked me to, I’ve not seen any harm in it.” 

“Considering you don’t even call your own father, ‘Dad’, I think that’s pretty amazing.” Leilani says candidly. My face drops and she suddenly realizes she’s said something without thinking again. “I’m sorry.” She gives me an apologetic look. 

I merely shake my head and go back to eating, trying to get my father out of my mind. The table suddenly becomes awkwardly quiet for a few moments. 

“What are we going to watch tonight?” Tina breaks the silence and changes topic. 

“There should be something good on the Family Network.” Trent offers and everyone starts to nod. 

“Otherwise we can peruse Simflix.” Cassandra adds. “Rose has a Smart TV that’s connected to the web.”

“Sweet!” Zoe says excitedly. 


	28. Saturday Night

Cassandra, Travis, Leilani and I wash the dishes and put things away while the rest of our friends debate on what to watch. I can hear it gets to be quite a heated debate as they’re well divided between those who love family stuff and those who love something more fantasy related. Trent seems to stay quiet during the debate, I figure he’d probably just suggest sports. While that would be fun for himself, Tina and I, I don’t think the others would like it as much. 

We come into the the living room. Trent and Zoe are curled up into the large armchair. Tina grabs a cushion and opts to sit on the floor so that my two lovers, Cassandra, and I can sit on the couch. Tina leans against my legs as consolation. Cassandra beats Leilani to sitting on my right side, so she sits on the other side of Travis. She tried to squeeze between Travis and I, but he only held me closer, and wouldn’t budge. She gives him this mock pout, but is happy enough cuddling up with him instead. Their relationship never ceases to amaze me. 

The Family Network has a movie marathon going as they’re building up to Harvestfest, and we settle down and start watching. Travis is laying sideways, using my breast as a pillow, so that Leilani can lay in his lap. I have my hand draped over both of them and I play with my girlfriend’s hair as she leans against my hand, while laying her head on his shoulder. Cassandra is mirroring my boyfriend. She has her feet over the edge of the couch, using my right breast as a pillow. I swear, it’s her favorite thing to do. We hold hands as she happily leans against me. Halfway through the movie, Tina pulls one of my legs over her shoulder, and leans against my knee as she gently caresses my leg.

Between movies, we untangle ourselves and take turns at the bathroom. I go first, seeing as I just know that I’m going too busy otherwise. Sure enough, as Tina goes next, Leilani gets bold, pushing Travis out of the way and we lay on half of the couch and make out. Tina soon replaces her when she comes back. Not to be left undone, Travis pulls my new girlfriend off of me to get in on some of the fun as Cassandra goes to the bathroom. Leilani decides to sneak into Travis’ spot as he goes pee, leaning on my back as Cassandra and I make out. Needless to say, I’m glad I didn’t tuck myself when I came back from the bathroom, all that loving has me immensely turned on right now!

As the next movie starts, Cassandra gets bold, and examines the bulge in my bathing suit. She’s not easy to ignore as her fingers trace the outline, I’m rock hard and slightly tenting as she draws her fingers up and down it. Examining the length, and watching it react to her touch.

I whisper in Cassandra’s ear that she’s going to get me off if she keeps that up. She pulls her hand away in surprise, worried that it’s going to explode or something. 

Leilani looks over and giggles. She leans over. “Pull it out and I can show you how it works and we can both have fun.” She says suggestively. 

Cassandra’s eyes grow wide and she just stares at my crotch. “I’m not sure I’m ready for that yet….”

“Don’t feel like you have to do something you’re not ready for.” I tell her softly, kissing her forehead. “Leilani, behave.” 

“Take away all my fun.” Leilani pouts, she shifts herself, using my left breast as a pillow, so that Travis can snuggle into her lap. 

Cassandra looks up at me. “Thank you for understanding.” 

I give her a sweet kiss. “You’ll know when you’re ready, till then, I’m happy to wait.”

She puts her hand back on my hard-on, but doesn’t do anything else, she just wants to feel that it’s there. It’s her first realization that I really am more than a girl, she needs to process it first. Over the course of the movie, well, I to eventually get softer, and she sits there and watches the erection diminish and recede. Relishing in this new discover of how my body can change based on my excitement. 

Halfway into the third movie, the Trent and Zoe are sleeping cuddled up in the armchair. The girls are also asleep, and Travis looks up to me to see if I’ve dozed off as well. I give him a smile. 

“I guess the day was too much for them.” He says softly, slowly pushing himself out of Leilani’s lap. “Think you can get up without waking them?”

“I can try.” I respond back, keeping my voice low. 

Travis helps my move Leilani first, and have her lay down on half the couch. He then helps me move Cassandra, leaning her the other way towards the couch. The two girls fit together like puzzle pieces as they face opposite directions. We turn down the volume, but leave the TV on. My boyfriend then takes my hand and leads me into the bedroom. 

“If I look anything like you, the salt water and sand have left me itchy, and my skin’s all pink from a mild sunburn like yours.” He says softly as I hold his waist, the only non-pink part of his body - seeing as he spent the afternoon shirtless. 

“Lets take a warm shower to wash off, then we’ll get some burn cream on each other.” I offer.

Travis nods as he sheds off his shorts. He helps me get my bathing suit off my shoulders, as that’s where my skin is the pinkest. We walk into the bathroom, hand in hand, naked. I set the shower to only warm, hot water will only aggravate our burns. Travis shivers as the cooler water hits his skin, then sighs as it removes the heat from him body. We gently wash our bodies, using my aloe and eucalyptus body wash to sooth our skin. 

“You smell more like a koala than my pretty strawberry.” Travis chuckles as he gently washes my shoulders before working on my white back. 

I have a lot less pink skin to worry about than he does - seeing as I was wearing a one-piece bathing suit. The only reddish parts of my body are my arms, shoulders and legs. 

We get out of the shower lightly patting ourselves dry, afraid to rub anything to aggravate the burn further. I get out my larger jar of burn cream from the bathroom closet. Travis and I proceed to gently slather each other’s front. Working on our own legs. He has me turn around first, and applies cream to the parts of the back of my leg and thighs that I missed, playing around the the curvature of my bum, and up along my hips. 

“There, now do my back.” He says, handing me the jar. 

I’ve just started Travis’ shoulders when Tina’s voice comes from the bedroom door. “I thought I heard a shower, and then, when I woke up, you were missing.” She says sadly, rubbing her eyes. 

Both Travis and I stand there in shock, buck naked. All she can see is my bare back, as I’m facing my boyfriend. 

“Oh!” She suddenly says as she takes in the scene. 

Travis is beet red, but I recover faster than he does. “Take a cool shower my dear, wash off the salt water and sand, and I’ll get cream on your burn next. There’s aloe soap in the shower already.”

“Okay.” She smiles. She checks out my body as I go back to applying cream on Travis, she tries to peak sideways to see if she can catch a glimpse of my crotch. “And I thought your body looked hot in the bathing suit.” She coos seductively before heading into the bathroom. 

“She’s going to be trouble.” Travis sighs as I go back to applying cream all over his back. 

I dig into my box of boy clothes, remembering a pair of black sport shorts, that did fit me till July, that missed the donation box. It should be the right size for Travis’ thinner hips - seeing as our waists are about the same size. 

I pass him the shorts as I dig through the box for a t-shirt. I find my gray gamer shirt and hand him that as well. Fortunately the shorts fit. I’m sliding into a loose summer dress as Travis looks over the t-shirt.   
It has a monochrome black game of blic-bloc with the title gamer in the game’s font. “How many more of these t-shirts to you have my love?” he asks as he carefully pulls the shirt on. 

Tina comes out wearing a towel, fortunately. “Four more.” I smile. “Maybe I should just hand this box to you and you can take what you want…” I smile. 

“That might not be a bad idea.” He smiles back, I hand him the box and he heads out to the van. “I’ll get your’s and Leilani’s stuff out while I’m at it.”

“Mine too?” Tina asks. We both look at her and she blushes. “When you guys were washing up, I told my parents that we were running an all-night movie marathon, they’re not expecting me home tonight.” She looks between us as we’re both still quiet. “You’re not upset with me are you?” she asks in a worried tone. 

“Not at all my love.” I smile to her and she relaxes. Travis nods at my decision and heads out. 

I’m starting to apply cream to the non-towel covered areas of Tina’s shoulders as I hear the front door close. 

“Travis isn’t upset is he?” Tina asks, dipping her fingers into the cream jar and applying lotion to her arms. 

“I think you just caught him by surprise dear.” I reply as I work on the back of her neck. She’d kept her chestnut brown hair in a pony tail most of the day. I notice that she has streaks of blond from the sun as highlights. “Here, you work on yourself, and I’ll wake the others.”

“Don’t wake Cassandra.” Tina replies. “She asked the same of her folks, and they said yes.”

I nod before heading out into the living room. I’ll take care of my girlfriend first. I carefully pick up Leilani, she mumbles and wraps her arms around me, snuggling into my shoulder before her breathing goes back to a sleeping pattern. 

I carefully carry Leilani out of the house. “I’ll get her home first and then wake the others.” I tell Travis softly. 

“Get Cass’s bag out too, apparently she asked the same favor as Tina did.” 

“You’re not going to sleep with both of them are you?” Travis asks curiously. 

“Like my little princess here, Cass is out for the night, I’ll tuck her into the spare bed, but I’ll wake Trent and Zoe first.”

Travis nods and reaches for Cass’s beach bag and pulls it out. I hear the trunk close as I reach Leilani’s house. I give a soft knock, and enter the house. Leilani’s parent’s look up at me from the living room. 

“She fell asleep halfway through the movie.” As her dad mutes the TV. “I’ll lay her in bed, but she’ll need a shower when she wakes up in the morning.”

“Okay dear.” Her mom says. “Thank you for bringing her home tonight.” 

I smile, nod, and then carry my girlfriend up to her bedroom. I get her in bed, using the light from the hallway to navigate through her room. I put her on top of her covers, and pull the duvet over her. I don’t want to fully tuck her in. Like me, she should have sand all over her lower legs, and I don’t want her leaving that in her bed. 

Leilani mumbles and whines as I let her go. “Sleep my love.” I say softly, and give her forehead a gentle kiss. 

“Hmm. I love you.” She says dreamily and drifts back off to sleep.

I gently close her door and head back downstairs, wishing her parents goodnight before heading out. 

Travis is carrying our things into the house as I catch up to him. We kiss briefly, he leaves the bags by the door, and then goes to get the van started. Time to wake up my friends. 

I look at the two lovebirds happily cuddled together. I don’t think I could lift both of them, so I should wake them up. The only gentle way I know how to wake up a girl is, well, with a kiss. So I kiss Zoe’s forehead, her nose and her lips. The 2nd kiss she smiles and puts her arm around me, returning the sentiment. Suddenly her eyes open and she backs away as she realizes how much softer my lips are to her boyfriend’s. 

“Rose!” she says blinking her eyes, touching her finger to her lips. 

“Sorry, it the softest way I know of to wake up a girl.” I say apologetically. 

She smiles. “I like your way of waking up people, now I know why your girlfriends love your good morning kisses.”She blushes slightly. 

“It’s late, Travis is getting the van ready, meet you at the door.” I say softly. Zoe nods, climbs out of Trent’s lap, and heads off to the door.

“Trent?” I say softly caressing his cheek. He mumbles, but doesn’t stir. I give his cheek a couple of light taps and his eyes suddenly pop open. 

“What, where?” he starts, looking around the room, till his eyes fall on me leaning over him.

“It’s late, time to head home.” I say softly and he nodes. 

I stand straight, and I see he’s having trouble getting himself out of the comfy chair. I put my hand out, and he grasps my hand and I help haul him to his feet. I guess his feet fell asleep, as he falls forward into my arms, grabbing my by the waste. I hold on to his hips, as - like my boyfriend - his chest is pinkish and probably sensitive. 

“Sorry.” He mumbles into my shoulder. “Give me a sec.” And he shakes his legs to get feeling back into them. 

When he gets his legs working again, he breaks from our embrace and has that look on his face again. I can see Zoe nod by the corner of the hallway, and so, I give him what I gave her. I give Trent the one thing he’s been asking from me for a good month now. I place a soft loving kiss on his lips. 

He’s at first surprised, but it doesn’t last long as I feel his grip around my waist tighten, pulling me closer to him as he returns the kiss. 

Once we break our embrace he gives me this confused look. “What was that for?” 

“It’s how I woke up your girlfriend, I thought it only fair that you two are even, so that she doesn’t feel guilty for kissing me.” I say with a smile. 

“I like your way of evening the odds.” He smiles and goes to kiss me again.

I put my finger on his lips. “No no, only one kiss for now.” I say softly and he quirks an eyebrow at the ‘for now’ comment. 

He takes my left hand as I lead him to front door, reaching my right hand out to Zoe as we approach. She gladly entwines her fingers in mine as I walk them to the door. 

“Okay, now I want you both to take a shower and apply burn cream before you go to bed.” I say in a motherly tone. “You only have a mild burn, but you won’t be able to sleep tonight if you don’t treat it.”

“Yes dear.” My friends say together. I smile and shake my head. I just opened a whole new depth to my relationship with these two. 

“Good night.” I say to them, letting go of their hands. Zoe looks at me expectantly. “Okay, you can have a goodnight kiss.” I sigh. She beams happily and holds my waist as I lean down and give her a loving kiss.

“I can see why Cassandra loves these so much.” She sighs and leans against my shoulder. “Goodnight.”

I turn to Trent. “Goodnight dear.” And he doesn’t hesitate in stepping forward and getting that second kiss he was look for. He leans forward, at his height, his forehead leans against he bridge of my nose. “My parents really would love if we would date.” 

“I know.” I say as I move my head up and kiss his forehead. “You have a girlfriend, but we can talk about where this is going between the 3 of us later, okay?”

“Okay”, he says and takes a step back, taking Zoe’s hand. They wave goodnight and head out the door. 

Travis hops out of the van as they get settled, coming to give me one last kiss. 

“Drive safe my love” I say softly. 

“I will.” He smiles and he holds my waist while I hold his hips and we give each other a deeper goodnight kiss than the ones I gave my friends. “Can I help you move tomorrow?”

“I can’t see why not.” I smile, still holding him, leaning down so that our foreheads touch. “I’ll send you a message when I know more.”

“Okay.” He smiles, giving me one last kiss before heading to the van. 

I wait at the door and wave as they drive off. I gently close and lock the door, then turn to deal with my last sleeping girlfriend. 

I pick Cassandra up, and - like Leilani - she whines and mumbles, but settles into me once she feels me close. I carry her into the spare bedroom. And lay her down on the bed. She reaches up with her arms, not wanting to let me go. 

“Sleep my love.” I say gently, giving her a soft kiss on the lips. 

Cassandra lets out a deep breath, smiles and then rolls over on to the pillow. I cover her with the duvet, like I did with Leilani and gently close the bedroom door. Now, what to do about Tina?


	29. Tina

I get into my bedroom, and my newest girlfriend has shed her towel as she works on getting cream on her pink belly. Having worn a string bikini, the only parts of her that are not pink is her breasts, middle of her buttocks, and her crotch. She is in no way shy about the fact that I walk in on her totally naked. 

“I got what I could reach, do you want to do my back dear?” she looks at me. 

I dip my fingers into the jar of cream, and start working gently on her back. She sigh and coos as I ease the heat on her back. I think she took a hotter shower than Travis and I did. 

“So, what are your plans tonight?” I say casually as I work on her back, breaking the silence in the room.

“Well, originally it **was** to watch movies with everyone. Now that I have you to myself, we could.. I don’t know… Improvise.” She says her tone getting more suggestive. 

“Improvise?” I tease her, to get her to talk more as I work on her waist. 

She takes a deep breath, as my hands slide up her sides, grazing the side of her breasts. “Hmmm. I think you’re getting the idea.” She coos as my touch becomes more sensual. 

I dip my fingers in the jar and start working on the outside of her rump and she leans back. “Is this affecting you?” I tease. 

“Wow, do you really know how to turn a girl on!” she lets out a deep breath and moans slightly. 

“I do, do I?” I get suggestive, and slowly bring my fingers down her inner thighs. 

She opens her legs for me, and I can now smell her excitement, I’m loosing my self control at just teasing, and my member starts to harden in response. As I’m not wearing any underwear, it’s tenting my summer dress, as I go down the back of her legs, and then back up, drawing my half-hard member along her inner leg. 

Tina moans again, I really shouldn’t be doing this, but she’s starting to turn me on, and my body’s going into an automatic response. 

“You’re getting hard already?” She says in a silky tone. Tina turns around and looks down. “Did I do that?” she asks teasingly, reaching down for my growing erection. 

She starts pulling up the front of my summer dress, till my hard-on pokes out of the fabric. “Oh… wow.” She merely says, reaching down and wrapping her fingers around it.

I lean back, and all resistance I may have had as to this might be too soon in our relationship disappears. 

“So this is what keeps Leilani happy…” she says in a husky tone, as she starts to masturbate my erection to its full potential. “You’re definitely bigger than my last boyfriend.” She says in a dreamy voice. 

Tina squats down and looks at my now fully hard penis. “Make that any of my boyfriends.” She says examining the length of it. “Can I?” she looks up to me before going further. 

“Yes.” I reply, my voice thick with lust, as my left hand grabs her ponytail. 

I hold on to her head as she first licks the tip. She ‘hmmms’ and smiles and then starts sliding down the shaft with her mouth. Running her tongue around it as she goes. _Okay, this girl really knows how to give head!_ I groan as she starts expertly savoring my hard-on. She suddenly, takes the entire length, and I moan louder as she slowly pulls back out. I’d never had someone swallow me all the way down the base like that - not even Lee could do it. The feeling is incredible!

Tina looks up to me, a seductive smile on her lips. “You like that, do you?” she says playfully and I nod. 

She does it again and I’m not sure how much longer I’m going to last with what she’s doing. She can somehow feel it build up, my erection is no doubt getting stiffer, and she licks around the head, driving me to a new level of pleasure as she teases the sensitive gland. She suddenly starts a sucking motion and that’s when I get off. I groan and hold her head with both hands as my organ explodes in her mouth. She moans happily and I can feel her start to swallow. Wow, that feels amazing! She keeps going till I’m spent and I lean forward as I catch my breath. 

“Even when you get off like this, you still sound like a girl.” Tina comments, licking her lips, as she grabs my hips, and pulls herself back up. 

“That was amazing!” I let out a deep sigh and lean down to kiss her as she brings her arms around me. 

She’s pink pretty much everywhere, so I leave my hands around the back of her head as we start to deeply, passionately kiss one another. 

“This doesn’t have to go any further than this if you don’t want it to.” Tina says softly as she breaks from our embrace. “My love won’t change for you if we don’t go all the way.”

“What would you rather we do?” I ask her softly and smile. 

She roams her hands along the non-pink skin of my body. “Well, you have multiple lovers, so I take it you either use protection, or you’re clean.”

“I’m clean.” I say closing my eyes, relishing in her soft and firm touch. 

“I’m clean, so if you don’t want to use a condom, I’ve been on the pill for years now, there’s no risk of me getting pregnant.” She says softly, exploring the base of my breasts. 

“Would you rather I use a condom?” I say, kissing her forehead and nose.

“I rather feel all of that amazing cock of yours.” She says in a sultry tone and I moan in response. 

We go back to kissing passionately as she starts to massage my breasts. I start to moan and whimper in her mouth as she moves her fingers around and explores my mounds. 

“You’re breasts are even more sensitive than mine.” Tina says as she breaks our kiss. She leans down and I arch my back to give her more access to my chest.

She’s not as adept at pleasing my chest as she was my cock, then again, I am her first girlfriend. She still manages well enough though and soon has me gasping and whimpering as she brings me to release. I let go a long soft moan of passion as I hit my peak. 

“Okay, definitely a girl with that one.” Tina says with a grin. “I just got you off, didn’t I?” she looks up to me. 

I look down and nod happily. Tina stands just above my chin, without moving down, I can easily kiss her forehead, and I do so in thanks to how she just made me feel. 

Tina starts pushing me towards the bed. “Shall we get more comfortable?” she coos seductively. I nod as I offer no resistance, backing up slowly. 

“I’m on top.” She announces. “You don’t have a burn on your back like I do.” She explains her reasons. I don’t mind her being a top, I have a feeling she’s going to be the dominant one in our relationship. 

Once my heel bumps the foot board, I lean back, and climb back to the pillows while she follows me. We never loose eye contact, worried that this intimate moment may shatter when we do. I lay back and she squats and crawls over me, her hands finding non-pink skin to touch. I notice she’s not letting her sensitive knees or legs touch the bed sheets. 

“I need you to get me ready first.” She commands and I nod in response, with that she turns around keeping her hands on my hips as she squats over my face. 

I breathe in her aroma, she’s not as sweet as Leilani, but definitely more pleasing than Monique’s and I stick my tongue out in anticipation as she lowers her mound to my lips. Tina gasps and sighs as my tongue pierces her folds, and lets out a soft moan as I start exploring her sex. Her moans increase and her juices drip into my mouth as I bring her closer to her peak. 

“Oh, wow your tongue is amazing!” she moans happily. 

If she’s talking, I’m not doing enough, and I double up on pleasing her. She gasps and lets out a longer moan as the first small orgasm starts to build. Now that I have her good and ready, I capture her clit and her moans increase in volume, and she gets more vocal as I start to suck gently and lick her nubbin in a downward motion. When I feel her at her peak, I do what Leilani loves the most, and start to hum. Tina cries out and shudders as her orgasm washes over her. I’m rewarded with the flood of her juices, and I stick a finger in her hole as I keep humming on her clitoris. 

Finally Tina falls forward, not being able to take my mouth on her sex any longer. She has her head between my open legs, breathing heavily into the blanket. She moves her head to the side to get more air. I gently caress the white part of her rump, as she comes down from the intensity of her orgasm. 

“I’ve never had anyone get me off like that before.” She says dreamily when she can finally talk. “Now I know the advantage of having a girlfriend.” She smiles and lets out a deep breath of content. “You are amazing!” She says as she struggles to turn herself around. “Wherever did you learn to eat a girl out like that?!” 

“Mostly in paying attention to what pleases my girlfriends.” I reply with a smile. “And then I change my technique in what satisfies them the most.”

“Satisfy is a pale word for what you just made me feel like right now.” Tina says still breathless as she comes closer to kiss me.

She closes the gap, laying her breasts on top of mine as we kiss. She instinctively starts to move against me, as our passions increase and our bodies passionately heat up. She gasps as our nipples start to rub, This is the first time she’s felt that additional stimulus, and she really starts to move her body against me. Between the breast rubbing, and her body pushing against mine, it doesn’t take long for my member to respond and get hard again. 

The moment she feels my hardening member poke at her folds she lets go a longer moan. She breaks our kiss and lifts herself up a bit so she can rub her wet mound along my hardening length. She moans and sighs as she feels my hard-on get larger, the feeling is amazing. When I’m good and hard and it arcs up to penetrate her, Tina stops her teasing.

She looks at me with heated passion, as she wiggles a bit feeling my member find it’s mark. I lay there and look into those beautiful hazel eyes. As she works to find the angle of entry. We both close our eyes as I find my mark and slide into her dripping wet hole. 

Tina’s vagina is amazingly tight, and has incredible control like Leilani. Her muscles relax as she sinks down, and then tighten as she pulls out. The feeling is out of this world! This girl definitely competes with my chocolate princess in how to please me this way. Our sighs, moans and gasps of passion fill the room. Like on the field, we are in synch as we work to please each other. When I feel her close to her orgasm, I try a new trick. I squeeze my groin muscle, making my erection suddenly flinch and expand, almost like I’m about to get off. My motion has the desired effect and Tina suddenly gasps loudly and a long soft moan escapes her lips as her orgasm rolls through her body. I can first feel it in her legs, and then it moves up her body. _Wow, her orgasms are like mine!_

Her whole body starts to vibrate as she lets go a low moan, her vagina starts to pulsate, and I’m not going to be able hold back much longer if her orgasm gets any larger. Tina just sits there, buried as far as she can go, moving ever so slightly in and out, and I can’t hold back any longer, her muscles are milking me to give her what she wants and I happily comply, pushing up and emptying my load deep inside of her. She gasp as another wave hits her. And we slowly grind against each other as our passions run their course. 

Tina finally collapses on top of me. We lay there, breathing heavily, drenched in sweat I lightly hold her body to mine, worried that I might aggravate her pink skin. We just lay there for the longest time, listening to each other breathe, slowly trying to get our bodies back under control. 

With some effort Tina raises herself on her elbows, and looks down at me dreamily, and giggles. “I think you just blew my mind….” She says with a wide happy grin and giggles again. 

She pulls me tight and lets go a deep sigh. “By the stars! You are amazing!” She lets go a deep breath. “Now I know what your lovers mean that, once they’ve loved you fully, there is no going back.”

She lifts her head again, that dreamy smile still on her lips. I caress her hair. “No one has every made love to me like that before.” She reaches up and gives me a kiss. 

“You’re on top, you’re the one who did most of the work.” I tease. 

Tina giggles, and cuddles back into me. “Do you have any idea how little it takes to get most guys off? I’ve never had a lover last through three orgasms before… actually, it may have been more than that, I lost count after that, it just felt too good!”

We both giggle as I continue to stroke her hair. 

“I never knew I could love someone so much as I love you right now.” She says softly, caressing my side. 

“Did you want to try again and I can show you what I can really do?” I say suggestively. 

Tina shakes her head. “Just hold me…. I’m happy just like this.” She sighs. With my feet I pull up the cover, and once it reaches Tina’s backside, she reaches down and pulls it the rest of the way up. “Hmm.. That feels so nice.” She sighs and yawns. She lifts head up, her eyes are half closed and sleepy. She smiles, bends down and gives my breast one last kiss before settling back down and cuddling on top of me. 

It doesn’t take long for me to join her. It’s been a long day, both of us are fried from fun and sun. I have to admit, that last bout of love making was unbelievably amazing… I happily drift off to sleep with my beautiful muscular brunette laying on top of me. 


	30. Sunday Morning

A sliver of sunlight crosses my eyes and brings me to wakefulness. I move my head to get out of the beam of light - thankful that I had closed the curtains yesterday morning to keep the heat of the day out of my bedroom.

As senses wake up, I see blond streaked wavy chestnut hair in front of me. I can just see over the head to see that it’s almost 8am. I actually slept in a bit for a change. My fingers lightly trace over the body, the heat emanating from the skin would indicate that their muscular stomach is as burnt as my shoulders feel. My hand roams down the body, and finds soft pubic hair and a soft mound. She moans at my touch, pushing her round muscular bottom against my morning erection. It takes me a moment to piece it all together.

Tina. I slept with Tina last night, and she sighs and moans as my morning wood rides her but crack. Suddenly her posture changes and she pushes hard against me.

“Rose?” She calls out.

“Good morning my love.” I say to her softly.

She sighs and relaxes against me, pushing up an down against my erection again. “Will I always wake up to something fun in the morning?” she coos.

“I still get it most mornings.” I smile and find a place on her neck that’s not pink to kiss.

Tina pulls her butt forward, and my morning erection slides between her legs, she opens her legs slightly, and pushes back, and I feel the warmth of her vagina start engulfing me. I gasp and moan as she rotates her hips a bit, getting the top of my hard-on coated, and her juices started before sinking down further.

Now that my member is trapped, she twists, and pushes me on my back. I offer no resistance is she start riding me reverse cowgirl and we both start panting and moaning. As this is my first morning bout, it doesn’t take long to get me off, and I push up as my first orgasm hits, she sighs at the feeling of my filling her and she is about to pull off when I grab her hips and keep going.

“What are you doing?” she asks breathlessly.

“You haven’t gotten off yet.” I say, increasing my pace.

She suddenly moans and clamps down on my erection as she realizes we’re far from done our morning fun.

She gets really vocal at this point. “Oh wow…. Keep going… don’t stop!” she moans as I can feel her vagina tighten around me. She starts letting out a long “hmmmmmm” sound I feel my groin get soaked with her juices as the first wave hits her.

“Yes!” she says loudly, and I feel her muscles convulse as she reaches her peak. The feeling of her vagina trying to milk me as she goes through her orgasm is too much and I get off again.

Tina collapses on top of me, we’re both breathing heavily, she leans her head on my shoulder. 

  
“Oh… wow… you can cum twice in one session.” Tina says dreamily. “I read about it in erotic novels, but I thought it was just fantasy…” she says dreamily. “You can really do that…” it was more a statement than a question.

“Yes.” I whisper in her ear, and give her cheek a kiss. “I never stop until my lover is satisfied.”

“You are amazing!” she brings her hands behind my head in an attempt of a hug. I lightly put my arms around her and give her a squeeze. She relaxes in my arms, putting her hands on mine. “Do we have to get out of bed today?” she asks.

“I have to get ready to move.” I say softly.

Tina groans and rolls off of me, gasping as I slide out of her. “I never had that feeling of loss pulling off of someone before, you stretch my hole like one one else has.”

“Is that why you feel so tight even though I’m your third partner?”

She turns around and gives me a long soft kiss. “Good morning lover. Have I told you enough how incredible you are?”

“You are pretty incredible yourself.” I say softly, kissing her again. “Like on the field, we get in synch and everything becomes magical.”

“Hmm.. You’re such a hopeless romantic.” She coos and kisses me again. She props herself up on an elbow, leaning on her hand. “So, what’s my lovely …” she trails her hand along my stomach. “Muscular and sexy girlfriend have planned for breakfast?”

I look thoughtful. “How about an omelet? I can finish off the eggs that way.” I offer.

“Delicious.” She kisses my breast and down my body a bit. “Almost as delicious as you.”

I blush at her overt flirting. “Okay, let me get you something to wear.”

Though different in height, Tina and I are much alike in size of bust and hip. My body and legs are longer than hers, which makes me taller. So, finding her underwear and a comfortable summer dress isn’t that hard to do. My shoulders are also a bit wider, so the summer dress is a bit loose fitting, but not obviously so. We opt for short sleeve dresses, not wanting to expose our pink shoulders to the sun today. Having both B-cups, we opt for simple bralet halter tops, so that our nipples don’t show through the thin fabric of the dress.

We head into the kitchen and start making breakfast. I hope we can do this more often, Tina and I are great in the kitchen together. She’s chopping up an onion while I get the last 5 eggs, the last of the milk, and the last of the bacon bits into a bowl. I whip up the contents as she starts to cook the onions in butter, adding a teaspoon of brown sugar to the pan to caramelize them better.

I pour the mixture into a pan, it looks more like a quiche than an omelet, I may have whipped the eggs a bit too much. I put the pan on medium-low heat and take over at cooking the onions down as Tina cuts up the last of the peppers and celery. She reaches into the freezer for some corn and notices the small baggy of carrot pulp. She shows it to me questioningly.

“Carrot pulp from having juiced them and added them to the orange juice.” I reply.

She puts the baggy on the counter, giving it a good hammer punch with the underside of her fist. She takes the smaller of the broken halves, and tosses that into the bowl, sealing the baggy and putting into the freezer.

“What was that thump?” A sleepy Cassandra comes into the kitchen moments later.

“Good morning dear.” Tina and I say in unison.

Cassandra leans against the door jam and looks at us for a moment, cleans off her glasses and and then focuses her vision.

“Oh, it is you Tina, where are the others?” Cassandra asks as she shuffles over to a chair and sits down. “Hmm.. That smells good.”

“I brought Leilani home, and Travis drove Trent and Zoe.” I comment lifting the omelet slightly to see if the underside is cooked enough. “I didn’t expect him to be coming back.”

“Oh.” Cassandra says. “I take it Tina slept overnight?”

“She did.” I smile, flicking the pan forward, the omelet flips up and back on the other side. I turn off the burner, cover the omelet and let it finish cooking on the residual heat.

“So where did she sleep last night?” Cassandra asks, getting up and getting the juice from the fridge.

“Rose has a very comfortable bed.” Tina smiles and her hand slides along my backside.

The juice clunks on the table. “You slept with her last night Rose!? You two haven’t even been dating a week, and she’s already in your bed?”

I go to take Cassandra into a hug, and she at first resists until she falls into my embrace.

“You’re not jealous are you dear?” I ask in a concerned tone.

“I…. No… just.” Cassandra suddenly relaxes against me and puts her arms around me. “It just caught me off guard is all.” She says, leaning against my shoulder.

Cass is the tallest of my friends, I can kiss her nose without even bending down and I do so. “You sure?”

“I know I shouldn’t expect you to remain chaste until I’m ready for us to go that far, it’s just… I feel left out sometimes.” She pulls me tighter to her.

“Cassandra, you are the other half of my heart, I don’t like seeing you upset.” I say with a worried tone.

She pulls back and looks into my eyes. “Really?” she looks at me hopefully.

“I’ve never loved anyone as deeply as I love you, I want our relationship to be perfect.” I say softly. “Loosing your virginity is not something I take lightly. I don’t want to push you, I don’t want it to be insignificant like mine. The night we take our relationship to the next level, I want it to be special.”

She puts her arms around me and squeezes me tight. “Thank you.”

“Veggies are done.” Tina says softly as she gets down plates, breaking us from our private moment.

“Right.” Cassandra says and lets go of me. She gives me a quick kiss and grabs a plate as I uncover the now fully cooked omelet.

“Bacon omelet with sautée'd vegetables.” I smile as I cut up the omelet.

“Why are you dividing it into four?” Cassandra says as I dish out her portion. Tina then catches on and gives her only a quarter of the veggies. “There are only 3 of us here this morning.”

“Well, if I know my girlfriend, she should be knocking just about…”

There’s a knock on the front door and I smile.

“Wow!” Tina says in amazement.

“I’ll get the door, you serve yourself, and we’ll join you soon.” I tell Tina and she nods. “She rather have breakfast with me, so I doubt she’s had anything to eat yet.”

I open the door and Leilani is all smiles this morning. “Good morning my love.” She says happily and steps in to give me a loving embrace.

I lightly kick the door closed, as we continue kissing.

“Good morning my dear, sleep well?” I ask her.

“I woke up in my bed, but I remember you kissing me goodnight, it was really strange.” Leilani frowns. “Mama told me to take a shower to wash the salt water off, and ….” Suddenly her expression changes. “You smell different this morning.”

“I used aloe and eucalyptus soap last night to ease my sunburn.” I tell her.

“Well, you’re not as pink as last night, so I guess it worked.” She smiles, and takes my hand. “What smells so good?”

“Breakfast.” I say, leading her towards the kitchen. “Bacon omelet and sautée'd veggies.”

“I love your cooking.” Leilani says licking her lips. “Oh, you’re not alone this morning.”

I go to the stove and smile.

“We slept over.” My other girlfriends say together, and I giggle. _We really are a matched group_.

I hear the three of them giggle as Leilani sits down. I dish out both of our plates and set hers down to my right beside me as I sit across from Tina. Cassandra is sitting on my left, blowing on her breakfast to cool it down.

“I expect my sister to call me sometime around noon, so that gives us time to pack my wardrobe and my computer, and maybe sort out what food needs to come with me before it spoils.”

“Leilani looks over to Tina. “That’s a pretty dress Tina, I’ve never seen you in anything but jeans or shorts.”

“It’s Rose’s.” Tina says smiling and touching the fabric. “I’m usually not fond of girly clothing, but this dress feels nice.”

“Probably cause it smells like your girlfriend you silly tom-boy.” Cassandra sarcastically teases her.

Tina looks thoughtful. She lifts up the dress, exposing her pink belly and breathes in the fabric. “Oh, it does smell like Rose!” she exclaims.

Cass leans over to the side. “I doubt the peach high cut panties are yours either, that’s definitely Rose’s style.” She teases her further.

Tina blushes as she realizes just how unladylike she’s acting right now and pulls her dress back down. Leilani is laughing so hard she’s almost falling out of her chair.

“My bathing suit needs to be washed.” Tina says defensively, causing the girls to laugh more. “I haven’t worn frilly clothes in years.” Tina continues.

“We’re just teasing you my love, you look absolutely beautiful this morning.” I say taking her hand.

Tina blushes and smiles at me. “Thank you.”

“It’s the first time I think I’ve seen your hair down too, your hair is as long as Rose’s.” Cassandra smiles.

Tina reaches out to me. “But it’s not as full and curly as hers is.”

Leilani suddenly stops laughing. “Wait… if you’re wearing Rose’s clothing…” she suddenly turns and slaps my arm.

“Ow! Watch the burn!” I say in a hurt tone.

“You slept with her, didn’t you?!” Leilani snaps at me not fazed by my comment.

“Do all your girlfriends act like this when you get a new lover?” Tina asks quirking an eyebrow.

“They did when I told them I’d slept with Dee up north, so… I guess they do.” I say rubbing my shoulder gently.

“Good thing you didn’t tell them about Trent and Zoe.” Travis’ voice comes from the hall as he enters the kitchen.

Leilani jumps a bit. “Boyfriend! You stop scaring me like that, walking in unannounced!”

“The door was unlocked.” Travis thumbs point back at the door.

“I thought I told you I’d text you when my sister got here…” I narrow my eyes at Travis.

“I’m sorry darlin’ I couldn’t wait.” Says Travis apologetically. “What ya’ all eatin’ that smells so good?”

“Omelet, it’s huge! I’m not going to be able to eat all this, here have half of mine.” Leilani offers him.

“You can have half of mine too.” Cassandra says as Travis goes and grabs a chair.

“No wonder your other girls are so skinny, look how little they eat!’ Tina says as she digs into breakfast.

“I know, right?” Travis says, grabbing a plate and setting himself between Leilani and I at the table. Our girlfriend shuffles closer to Tina to make room for him. The girls go and give him half their meal and he sits down and starts eating. “Thanks!”

“So what’s this about Zoe and Trent?” Cassandra probes as she goes back to eating breakfast.

“What?” I say trying to play dumb, Travis nudges me and I blush. “I.. Well… May have kissed them both goodnight before they left…” I say, nervously kicking my feet under the table.

Fortunately Travis is between us, so Leilani can’t slap my shoulder again. “Rose!” my girlfriends berate me.

“Well, I needed to wake up Zoe, and I really don’t know any other way to wake a girl up gently…” I start explaining the situation.

“So as to even out the field, you gave Trent a kiss too.” Cassandra finishes for me. “He’s been trying to kiss you for a month now, you realize what you did, right?”

“Well, seeing as neither of them are sexually active, I figure it’d just be a deep infatuation that will go away… eventually.” I say hesitantly.

“Rose, once you kiss someone, the feelings don’t just go away.” Cassandra frowns at me.

“I can agree with that statement.” Tina says with a dreamy smile.

“Let me guess. She became more than a girlfriend last night.” Travis says, looking at Tina’s reaction.

“Yes she did.” Leilani and Cassandra reply in the same annoyed tone.

“Oh come on girls, you make it sound like I’m going to start ignoring you in favor of her. Once I move, I don’t know when I’ll have time to date any of you - outside of our regular times we’ve already set up.” I sigh, and give Tina an apologetic look. “Last night was likely the only time we’ll be intimate for some time.”

“You’re right dear. I’m sorry.” Leilani puts her head down.

“I do love you all, we’ll figure out a schedule so none of you feel left out.” I give Cassandra a look and she smiles.

“Can I join ya’ all at the Gym on Monday?” Tina asks.

“Cassandra and Travis look at each other and shrug. “I can’t see why not.” Travis answers. “Will be fun having another friend at the gym.” He gives a smile. “Maybe someone that can actually keep up with Rose.”

I blush at his comment and Tina smiles. “To be honest, I have no idea how Cassandra slept through it all, I’m not exactly quiet when I get excited.” Tina says boldly, leaving our girlfriend blushing.

Cassandra blush turns to a frown. “That would explain the strange dreams I had last night.” We all start laughing.

“So, you think the kiss with Trent and Zoe will be a one time thing?” Leilani says after we all calm down and start eating again.

“I honestly have no idea, we’ll have to find out on Monday.” I reply.

“You think that’s wise leaving them to sort their feelings out on their own?” Travis says in a concerned tone.

“They love each other, this won’t break their bond.” I reply with certainty.

“What if they want something from you like we have with Travis?” Leilani inquires.

I sit there chewing thoughtfully, Travis and Leilani are looking at me expectantly. “I hadn’t thought of that. Since they’re not sexual active, I’d shrugged it off as not possible.”

“So, if they want to include you into their relationship, what are you going to tell them?” Cassandra adds. “Are you going to break their hearts and tell them no?”

“Come-on it was one kiss, they couldn’t have developed feelings that deeply for me already…” I say trying to dismiss her comment. They all look at me. “Would they?” I say hesitantly. “Oh dear.” I sigh.

“Mama did ask you if you were going to date all of Willow Creek High by the end of the year, you’re almost at a quarter of our class in only two months.” Leilani points out.

“I….” I push my plate forward and tuck my head in my arms. “There’s no hope for me is there?”

“It’s a good thing we love you Rose.” Travis says softly, and puts his hand gently on my shoulder.

“I lift my head up. “So, if they just want to sort of be cuddly, but that’s as far as it gets, is that okay?” I say tentatively.

Cassandra looks at Tina. “I don’t know, some relationships of yours tend to escalate faster than others.”

“I seduced Rose last night.” Tina blushes.

“Outside of Travis, Rose usually isn’t the one who initiates it. She just lovingly flirts with everyone and has trouble saying ‘No’ when they want more…” Cassandra continues.

“You have a point there.” Tina says thoughtful. “But she sure makes it worth the wait.” She says suggestively. “If what we had last night was any indication girlfriend. When you two finally go all the way, you’re not going to be able to walk the next day.”

“I can attest to that comment.” Leilani grins. “She can…”

Travis interrupts her. “Leilani, stop, you’ll get Cassandra all flustered and none of us will get what we need done this morning.”

Cassandra is already blushing and looking down at her plate from Tina’s comment. “Ya’ all are too much sometimes.” She says bashfully.

We finish eating with my changing subjects as to who will help me with what. And I get them focused off of relationships for a while. Though, now they do have me worried how Trent and Zoe will react Monday morning. 


	31. Packing Day

I had a good deal already packed. But, with my friends here with me, the rest of the packing goes even faster. 

The girls help me sort out what goes into what suitcase. I’ve added some more clothing since I moved here, so Leilani goes and unloads the suitcase I had brought to her house, and brings back one of her own to help pack the rest.

I start the wash so that there’s no dirty clothing going into any of the suitcases.   
Leilani is the one to find my lingerie and looks over the balconette teddy holding it in front of her. She asks me to turn around and then whistles. 

“This will look even better on you than that swimsuit.” She grins. 

“Leilani, more packing, less playing.” Cassandra frowns, but I see her look at the outfit then at me, then she blushes. 

“You’re want her to wear this the night you want to make love to her don’t you?” Leilani teases.   
Cassandra turns even more red. 

“Stop teasing my girlfriend Leilani.” I frown. 

“Fine, take my fun away.” She pouts causing Tina to laugh. 

“She’s fun to have around.” Tina grins. 

Leilani’s expression changes. “What other pretty little things do you have in here love?”

Leilani is pulling out some lace underwear, my bodysuit, folding them as well as you can with lingerie, and putting them in a suitcase. She pulls out my bras and panties. 

“You know, for someone who’s only been a girl for a few months, you have quite the collection of skimpy things.” Leilani teases me. “Even more than I do!”

“You can thank Jane for most of that.” I say blushing. “She keeps encouraging me to buy some of the most skin tight clothing you can find!”

“Well, with your body, why not?” Tina says suggestively. “You definitely are a girl, not some tom-boy like me.” 

“Some of us are attracted to tom-boys like you.” I flirt back. 

“I’d say Leilani is about the only other girly one here, I’m more like Tina as well.” Cassandra comments. 

“You have pretty things.” I tell my girlfriend. 

“Most of her wardrobe is black clothing.” Travis says. “Wash is done, anything that doesn’t go in the dryer?” 

I look thoughtful. “Nothing that I can think off. But put it on low heat, permanent press, just in case.” 

Travis nods. “Low heat, permanent press.” He repeats to himself so that he doesn’t forget. 

“I swear, you could wear a different dress every day, and not run out of clothing for a month.” Tina says as she folds my full length items into my largest suitcase. “I don’t think I’ve seen you wear half of these.”

“Well, some of them are too warm to wear in this weather.” I comment pulling out tops from my sweater drawer. “I might wear some of them if it gets cooler here in the winter.”

“Why don’t I ever see you wear pants at school?” Leilani is now into my slacks and jeans drawer. 

“With you and Travis, how do you think I can comfortably wear skin tight jeans at school dear?” I reply. 

“Do I do that?” she says playfully causing Cassandra to shake her head and smile. 

“You have an entire rainbow of leggings my love.” Cassandra comments. 

“I like to keep thing colour-coordinated.” I reply and she smiles. 

“I’m dating the strongest, most feminine, artistic geek in school, why am I surprised?” She giggles and keeps packing. 

“That explains the 20 pairs of socks of various colours I just found.” Leilani comments. 

Before you start grabbing stuff out of the bathroom, most of the towels stay here in the house.” I tell the room in general. 

“Just grab all the pretty smelling stuff.” Leilani nods. 

After an hour my bedroom is empty of all clothing. 

“How did you carry all this here?!” Tina asks in surprise. 

“Well, they came in more than one load, some of it in boxes, and I’ve bought more clothing since then.” I reply. 

We start working on other things, putting them in boxes. Cassandra starts going through the pictures on my dresser. Putting them into boxes. “You have pictures of everyone here!” She says happily. “There’s Travis, me, Leilani, Tina…” she turns around holding a framed picture. “Why do you still have a picture of Monique?” 

I walk over to her, and take the picture of my ex and put it in the box. “Sentimental value, she still means to something to me.” 

“Oh really?” she frowns. “You’re still not hoping she’ll come back to you, are you?”

“I don’t know what I’m hoping for, I just like keeping pictures of those who are or were closest to me.” I say. “Like this photo of my parents, even though my dad hates me right now.” 

Leilani looks over. “You’re mom is pretty.” She steps closer. “Though you look more like your father.” 

“Don’t remind me.” I frown and put the picture in the box. “I have pictures of my support group over the summer.” I pick up a long framed photo of a dozen people. 

“Who’s this? She was in the group photo.” Cassandra picks up another framed photo.

“That’s Diane.” I say looking over as I gather some of the non-framed photos leaning against the mirror. 

“She’s a transgender girl?” Leilani takes the photo from Cass. “She’s so thin and pretty.” She looks up to me. 

“She’s older than we are, isn’t she?” 

“She turns 20 in January.” I reply. “And yes, she’s thin and petite like Cassandra, with only a bit of muscle from playing sports in school. 

“You’re dating an older woman?” Leilani says in surprise. 

I take a non-framed photo of a brown-haired man. “Sam is a year older than she is, and he spent the summer trying to get me to date him.” I show them the picture. 

“Why isn’t his framed then?” Cassandra asks. 

“Sam and I aren’t really serious, we’re sort of… courting. So, when, I ran out of frames, I traded his picture for this one of Tina and I.”

“Tina pops over my shoulder. “Oh, that’s the soccer photo of us.” She smiles. 

“When you said you wanted to frame it, I thought it was a good idea.” I turn and give her a quick kiss. Tina blushes as she wasn’t expecting the motion. 

Leilani looks over her shoulder and giggles. “Rose is fast, you never know when to expect her to give you a quick smooch!” 

“She’s caught me off-guard more than once in school last week.” Cassandra adds to it. 

We spend the next 30 minutes going over the photos I have scattered all over the dresser.   
Tina picks up a magazine clipping, she starts reading it. “Say Rose…” I look over to her. “Is this your old swim team?” 

“Hey, I recognize a few of those boys from the restaurant when we went back-to-school shopping.” Leilani smiles. “There’s the handsome blond swim captain. Who looks 5 times stronger than Travis….”

“Hey!” I hear my boyfriend say as he brings the laundry basket in.

“He’s got his left arm around a shorter boy with orange hair.” She says looking it over. “He’s the only one in the picture who’s holding a teammate.” 

I blush and go to take the clipping, but Leilani moves. “Rose, was that you as a boy?” she says curious. “Your hair is so much redder now than in this photo.”

“I… yes. It is.” I say. “The chlorine has a tendency to bleach things, so my hair was lighter then than it is now.”

“I thought you said you had no friends in school.” Cassandra looks back at me. 

“Jim and I were like brothers, my team were ‘friendly’, but they were nothing like the friends I’ve made here.” I reply. “Jim was the only one I truly trusted.”

“Why didn’t you want Jim to recognize you at the restaurant then?” Were you worried he wouldn’t accept you as a girl?” 

“No, I was more worried he’d find me even more attractive as a girl.” I quietly. 

The all look at me surprised. You can hear a pin drop everyone is suddenly so quiet. 

“Rose, you said you never dated anyone before you moved here.” Leilani breaks the silence. 

“Jim and I never dated, though he did ask me twice to be my boyfriend in the 3 years we swam in the team together.” I reply hesitantly. “In fact the boy I put in the hospital was someone who figured out that Jim had feelings for me, and I beat him up to stop telling the others. I never wanted anyone on the team to think Jim was gay.”

“Which is why you were so surprised when you fell in love with me.” Travis suddenly realizes. “You said no to Jim, no to Sam, and who knows who else…. Only to suddenly be the one coming on to a boy when you kissed me that night.”

I bite my lower lip, and nod. “I couldn’t understand why you were so different from any other boy who had wanted to love me in the past.” I reach out to Travis and caress his cheek. “All those years of telling my parents I wasn’t gay. All those years of telling classmates I wasn’t gay. 5 boys have hit on me since I was 12, and none of them, not a single one of them excited me - even though some of them, like Jim, were very attractive.” Travis leans against my hand lovingly. “And then, that Friday night, sitting beside you, suddenly I couldn’t resist you! I wanted you so bad, and I couldn’t stop myself. I spent that whole night wondering how, after all these years, a boy suddenly awoke in me a passion so much stronger than what I felt for Monique at the time.”  
Travis pulls me closer to him. “I love you in a way that scares me sometimes, cause I’ve never felt like this for any man in my life.” A tear rolls down my cheek, the emotion is so strong. “I’ve wanted to please you, and make you happy in every way possible, as I finally found a heart to share mine.”

“I love you too.” He smiles and pulls me in for a kiss.

Our moment of tenderness is broken by my phone signaling and incoming message. I think we all jumped at the sound. 

I give Travis one last kiss, and then pick up my phone. 

“Beth is leaving the house and is on the way.” I say reading the screen. 

“Outside of the laundry basket, all the rest of your clothing is packed.” Tina comments. “I have your makeup all packed in your overnight bag.”

I reply to Beth that we hope to see her soon. Hoping that she’s already driving and won’t respond to my ‘we’ bit till she gets here.

I turn around and Cassandra is standing there expectantly. “What about me then?” She asks. “You’re sexually involved with all these people, and yet, you still hold on to me, even though I’m not ready for it… why?”

I walk up and put my hands on her arms. “Cassandra, you swept me into your life the moment I moved here. You became the best friend, the confidant, the one I can tell anything to, and never asked for anything in return except for my time.”

“Okay…” she says still unmoved.

“And then, as I was pushing Monique away, I found myself being pulled towards you. A friend I could trust, grew into a love that I felt could survive anything. You have seen me at my worst, at my weakest, and yet you still loved me and showed me that I am strong.” I pull her closer to me. “Whatever happens, wherever we go, whatever we do… I know, deep in my heart, you will still be there by my side. I can’t prove it, I just know it somehow.”

She puts her arms around me and pulls me into a loving hug. 

“When I play for you, there is a connection that forms. Through music I discovered your true heart. We are drawn to each other like no other. As much as I dearly love Travis, and I hope he doesn’t think lesser of me. I’ve never loved anyone more than I love you.”

She looks at me, her deep brown eyes glisten with happy tears. “You make me happier than I have every thought possible. It scares me sometimes how much I love you, forgive me for doubting you.” 

We start kissing deeply, passionately, she moans in my mouth as I push my tongue in. I lift her in my arms and she wraps her legs around me. 

“Think we should leave them alone?” Tina says somewhere in the distance, like Cass and I are floating somewhere else. 

My phone pinging a message suddenly breaks our passionate embrace.   
I look around confused for a moment, then look at my phone still in my hands. 

-= Beth =- Stopped at a light, be there in 10. 

Cassandra I still holding me and lets her legs down as my hand slides up from her butt to her back. She looks around and blushes. “Sorry, I really needed her to tell me that.” 

“Lets get the packed stuff moved to the front door.” Travis says. 

“I’ll sort out the laundry basket, mine and Tina’s bathing suits are in there.” Cassandra says as she moves to the basket on the bed.

Travis grabs some of the boxes from the closet. “Rose?” I look up at him, almost worried what he’ll say next. “I still love you. You once told me that the part that you hold in your heart for me, is different than the part of the heart you hold for her. And I trust you.” 

“Thank you Travis, that means a lot to me.” He leans over and gives me a soft and loving kiss. _I love him so much!_

“She also said that to me when I got worried that they’re relationship was getting serious.” Leilani comments.   
We get busy moving what’s already packed to the front of the house. 

“There’s a van parked in your driveway.” Beth says as she comes in after giving a brief knock. 

We look up at her as we’re all carrying something.

“Well, isn’t this sweet, you have all your your loves here, even the new girlfriend.” Beth smiles.

“Hi Beth!” I say from the back of the line. 

I nudge Tina forward who then starts the chain moving again. Once we’re free of our burdens, I make introductions. 

“Well, I know our tall sweet Goth girl Cassandra.” Beth says and they hug briefly. 

“This radiant dark beauty has to be your neighbour Leilani. You’re somehow shorter than I imagined, considering where you usually leave your love bites.” Beth teases her. 

“We’re usually laying down when I give those.” Leilani blushes and gives her a brief hug. 

“Or Rose is holding you up in her arms.” Travis chuckles. 

“Hush you, don’t take all my fun away.” She scolds our boyfriend and we all chuckle. 

“And there’s that love triangle that I’ve heard about.” Beth smiles. “Speaking of which - as you are the only boy here. You must be that charming blond, the first man alive to win over Rose’s heart. Nice to finally meet you in person Travis.”

“I didn’t know I deserved quite the introduction.” Travis blushes as they shake hands.

“I’m sure Rose has told you such already.” Beth says. 

“Just a few moments ago in fact.” Cassandra comments. 

Tina steps forward, and Beth smiles again. “I recognize you from the soccer photos.” You are even cuter in person than I expected, I can see why Rose said she’d date you.” They share a brief hug, and Beth stops before she lets go. “Rose, you didn’t waste any time with her did you?” 

“What?” Tina says confused, as she lets go and backs away. 

“She always knows.” I say. “I can’t ever seem to sleep with someone without her figuring it out somehow.”

“Well, she didn’t have this on her neck in the photos that mom took yesterday.” 

She reaches up and tilts Tina’s head, pulling her hair aside. There’s a nice big dark love bite that I left on Tina when we first started making love this morning. 

“Oh, I guess I did leave that on her this morning.” I blush. “It was one of the few places on her that wasn’t pink from the sun.” Tina turns to the hallway mirror and sees the hickey I left on the back side of her neck. 

“Wow, that’s going to stay for longer than the one’s I leave on her.” Travis chuckles. 

“You didn’t leave one on her did you?” Leilani gets curious. 

“Not where it’s easy to find.” Tina blushes. 

Beth smiles and shakes her head. “The five of you are something special.” We all look at each other. “Well, lets start with packing my SUV, and see if we can make it in one trip between both cars.” 

Beth grabs a box, and we each grab something and start carrying it out. We’re not worried about passengers for Beth’s vehicle, so most of the items go in hers first. 

Travis carefully takes down portraits and paintings that I point out as I start to dismantle my computer desk. Tina is carefully packing my computer in the box I gave her, as Cassandra coils up the cables and wraps them with twist-ties, so that they don’t unravel in transit. 

We place the portraits, paintings and my artwork in the back of Travis’ van, so that they don’t get bumped by any of the boxes. My easel and my art supplies also get put in the back seat of his van to keep all my art stuff together. 

Two hours later we have everything packed in both vehicles. “You don’t travel light sister!” Beth exclaims. 

I blush. “Dave did make a couple of trips down with stuff since I first moved in.” 

“I’ll make sure the staff know that the boxes that aren’t art stuff in the back of Travis’ van go to the kitchen. I’m sure Pierre will figure out what to do with it all.”


	32. Moving to the Manor

Traffic this afternoon is light, so it’s easy enough for Travis to follow Beth. She produced a bike rack, so my bike is strapped to the back of her vehicle, as we make our way to her house. Well, I guess it’s my house now as well. 

The majesty of the manor house never ceases to take my breath away. It’s so beautifully crafted, the front yard is huge! 

“How big is this property?” I ask Beth as we drive up to the house. 

“20 hectares, though most of that is reserved for the sugar cane production. The house, and gardens only sit on the first 5.”

“That explains why the front yard is a the size of a soccer field.” I say in surprise and Beth smiles. 

“Leave it to you too define sizes in the length of a playing field.” She smiles. 

As we pull up to the house, I notice half a dozen people standing by the door. “Who are they?” 

“Sunday’s usually a quiet day on the field, so Dad borrowed some farm hands to help bring the stuff in faster.” Beth replies. 

I grab my backpack and the computer box I had on my lap, and start walking to the house. Travis comes up to me. “Let me take that up my love.”

“I’ll show you the room first before we move things up.” Beth says as the men stand there and wait. “I want to make sure you like it before we get you settled in.” 

Barnes lets us in, and I’ll never get over the size of this house. I marvel again at the huge marble entranceway. The five of us start climbing the stairs. On the third floor, we take a right, there are only 4 doors in this wing, and a large glass balcony door at the far end. We walk to the 2nd door on the left, and Beth opens it. 

We step into a room about the size of the house I just left! The walls are a soft lilac colour. This part of the room looks to be a seating area or lounge. A large comfortable couch and two rocking chairs face a large fireplace to the left of us. To the right is a dining area with an antique wooden table and four padded chairs. There is a mini-fridge, marble counter, wood cabinets, and sink - almost a mini-kitchen, but with no cooking appliances. The far wall has a large glass door leading to a balcony. To the right of the balcony door, where the most light comes in, is an ornate drawing desk and chair. There is secretary desk in the left corner closest to the fireplace. The room is so large it has dividers. Beth opens the dividers on the right to the rest of the room. showing a comfortable bedroom area. This room is smaller than the other, as the first quarter of it is taken up by a private bathroom. The tub is like the one in Cassandra’s house: an imperial claw-foot bathtub that could easily fit 2-3 people. There are two toilets, two sinks and a wall length mirror. A shower that could fit 3 is tucked in the back corner. 

“This room was first designed for my grand-mother, who had a twin sister. So everything in the room is still twined.” Beth explains for the size and design of the bathroom. 

As we approach the bed, there is a cushioned seating area to the left beside another glass balcony door. The bed itself is a luxurious king-size canopy bed, all designed in hues of purple. 

“When I told you that Dad had a room in mind for you, this was his first choice. When I mentioned that purple was one of your favorite colours, he was relieved, he was worried we’d have to repaint and redesign this room for you.” Beth turns and smiles. 

“This room is amazing!” I say looking around. 

“Can I stay here?” Leilani asks and we all chuckle. 

“It’s like your own personal apartment in the manor house!” Tina exclaims. 

“If you ever need me, my room is just across the hall.” Beth continues. “Do you like it? There’s one other room I can show you, but it’s smaller.”

“I love it!” I say taking in the sight of the - as Tina commented - personal apartment within the manor house. 

“You’re serious that I can have this room!?” I say almost in disbelief. 

“It’s been empty for over 50 years, the staff would love to see it finally occupied.” Beth replies. 

“So you like it?” Beth’s father’s voice comments behind us.

“Dad this is amazing, you mean I can really stay here?!” I turn to him excitedly. I still can’t believe they are offering me this room!

“It’s yours if you want it.” He smiles.

I run over to him and give him a huge hug. “Thank you!” I say happily. 

Cassandra opens the sliding door to the other half of the bedroom beside the bath. “Oh wow, it’s a walk in closet!” she exclaims. 

“So I should tell the hands to start carrying things in?” Dad asks. 

I’m still all so amazed by the size and wonder of this room that all I can do is nod. 

“Great, we’ll get your things moved up right away.” He smiles. “I’ll inform the maid to bring you up towels and such for the bathroom.”

Travis comes back from putting my computer down by the secretary desk. He puts his arm around me and hugs me close. “I guess we can donate your old computer desk and chair, that secretary desk is 5 times better!” He smiles.

“I think we’ll keep it in storage.” I reply. “We might need it when we move up to Britechester.”

“Fair enough.” He leans his head on my shoulder. “As much as it sucks you living further away, I’d this room is an upgrade to where you’ve been living the past month and a half.”

“I would say!” Cassandra slides her arm around my left side after having explored the walk-in closet. 

My friends and I have been told we’re not allowed to move any of the boxes. So, we spend the time unpacking instead. As Travis suggested, I set up my computer on the secretary desk. There’s even room to upgrade my photo printer if I want to. 

We spend time figuring out where what picture or painting goes on what wall. And my easel is set up beside the drawing desk. There are shelves and cubbies for my art supplies to finally come out of boxes.

“Just how much paper do you have?” Leilani exclaims as I’m unpacking reams for different coloured paper on the bottom shelf. 

“I think this bottom shelf might fit it all.” I reply and she merely shakes her head. 

I ask the hands to bring me the kitchen appliances instead of leaving them to Pierre. This gives me my juicer, mixer and other items to make quick shakes and small meals if I don’t feel like going down to the kitchen. 

I hadn’t noticed it before, because it was empty, but there are large bookcases on either side of the divider for all my books. I start unloading my art books and related material in the lounge area. Where as the bedroom side I start pulling out my novels. 

“For someone who’s always on the go, you have a lot of books.” Travis comments as he helps me put the novels on the shelves. He notices I’m putting the books alphabetically by author, so that collections can be kept together. 

“You have the entire Dragonriders series!” Cassandra comments as she opens another box of novels. “I have a feeling I’m going to be spending more Sundays here than asking you to come over!” She smiles, and we both giggle. 

Right, Sundays had become our time together. So I’m taking my time away from Cass and her family with this move.

I’m sorting out the bathroom, as a pretty petite brunette in a maids outfit comes in with a stack of towels. I allow her to set them on the bathroom shelves as I unpack the overnight bag with my makeup and personal effects. 

We have me more than half settled in my room, I’ve unpacked more here than I ever did in Doug’s house, when Beth comes in and announces that supper is served.

“We’re all invited?” Leilani asks in surprise. 

“Well, you’re all here, so Pierre made enough for everyone.” Beth winks as she leaves the room. 

We make our way downstairs excitedly talking about how much more time we have together, maybe we can finish unpacking everything. I get this fun idea as we reach the second landing, and I hop on the handrail, and slide down it sideways, hopping off before I hit the banister. I run a few steps across the marble foyer, skid to a stop, and raise my hands in a ‘tada’ motion. 

“That looks like fun!” Tina shouts, and does the same. Sliding down and hopping off, running into my arms. I catch her and we giggle, and I give her a kiss. 

My other friends are walking down, I can see them debating as to who’s brave enough to follow us, and I can see all of them shaking their heads. 

“Jocks.” Cassandra says as they’re close enough for me to hear them, causing Tina and I to giggle more. 

“Come on! Let me show you to the dining room!” I say excitedly. 

I take Cassandra’s hand, and she grab Leilani’s, who tugs Travis along, and we form a chain as I bring them to the dining area. We walk past a sitting room, and then enter in. The dining area takes up nearly half of the house’s east wing. 

“Wow!” Travis says as he looks around. 

Beth and her parents are already seated, and we walk around the table to sort out who’s sitting where. I have Cassandra and Travis on each side of me, with Tina and Leilani sitting across from us. By Leilani’s foot motions, and Travis’ blushing, I would gage that she’s playing footsies with him under table and I tell her to behave. Leilani giggles and settles in her chair more. 

Barns rolls a trolley in, and I can already tell by the smell that it’s an expertly cooked roast beef. He comes up to each of us asking for portion size, and cutting it right there before moving on to the next person. Once everyone is served their meat, he puts the remainder of the roast on the on the table. He reaches down and pulls up bowls of mashed potatoes, corn, carrots and peas. Again, serving us each in turn. I’m not used to such formal way of serving supper. I’m really hungry, as we never ate lunch, so it takes all my will power to not just dig in and wait for everyone to be served. 

Barnes then asks us if we want Red or Rosé wine with out meal. He places two bread baskets before leaving the room. 

“Everyone hungry?” Dad asks and we all nod. 

We say grace, something I’m getting used to with southern culture, and then start digging in. I’m glad Barnes left us more food. I’m definitely going to want seconds after this! Barnes comes by every 10 minutes or so to check up on the meal, and see if we need more wine, I almost feel like I’m in a restaurant the way he even serves us our seconds. 

“You eat like this all the time?” Leilani asks surprised. 

“Well, Sundays are a little more special.” Mom responds. “During the week, we don’t always get to sit and eat together as some of us have longer days than others.” 

“Specially during harvest season.” Dad responds. “While I’m up as early as Marie and Beth, I’m usually out on the field supervising the cultivation long after they get home.”

I look at mom. “I never knew your name was Marie.” I smile. “I have an aunt Mary in the city.” 

Mom merely smiles eats a few bites and speaks. “I know my first name sounds like something more from your mother’s side of the family, Dave has made that comment a few times.” She takes a sip of wine. “My mother was Cajun, so we could have family routes somewhere back in colonial ages.” 

“That’s pretty cool.” Tina remarks. “I have no idea where my family originates from. Rose here seems to be more in touch with her family heritage than I am.” 

“Thank my parents for leaving a wall full of National Geographic for me to read as I was growing up. Each month I would learn about new people, new cultures, new locations and such.” I reply. 

“I never knew that.” Leilani says in surprise. “Just when I think I know everything about you, I always find there’s something new about you.” 

“Well, I say things as they come up…” I shrug. “The only part I kept secret when I first moved here was my transgender nature, but the rest of me tends to be an open book.”

“I think each of us have learned different parts of you to be honest.” Cassandra looks thoughtful. “As each of us have different personalities, you’ve opened up different parts of you to each of us.”

“Wow…That’s so deep.” Leilani says in amazement.

“I second that notion.” Travis adds. “I think I know more about her geek side than some of you as we talk about computers and gaming more.” 

“You also know more about my artistic side with our time at the park dear.” I continue. “While Cass and Leilani have seen me doodle, you’re the only one that’s sat with me as I’ve drawn.”

“That was pretty amazing.” He agrees with me.

Tina leans on her palm. “So I guess I’m your athletic side?” 

“Outside of cycling, yea.” Travis nods. 

“Yes, cycling has so far been your thing.” Cassandra smiles. 

“What about me?” Leilani suddenly wonders if she’s been left out. 

“I’ve probably told more to you and your parents about my personality than anyone else.” I comfort her. “You are often the first person to find out about what bothers me or what I’m happy about, as you’re the first one I talk to in the morning.” 

“I love your morning kisses.” Leilani smiles sweetly. 

“You don’t sleep together at night do you?” Dad suddenly wonders. 

“No.” I blush. “I go to Leilani’s place after work in the morning and go wake her up.” 

“Best alarm clock I’ve ever had.” Leilani grins, and we all laugh. 

Beth’s parents are curious about how my week usually goes, to discover I don’t really spend a lot of time at home. Monday I go to the gym, and usually eat with the Goth family afterward. Tuesdays is movie night, so we catch supper at the Malt Shoppe before the show. Wednesday nights we dine out after the game. Now that I’m out to watch the boy’s team on Thursdays, I’ll be doing the same. Friday is the only day I may be home after school - depending on what we have planned. So far I’m usually home for supper Saturday and Sundays - but sometimes I spend that with my friends as well. 

“You certainly keep yourself busy.” Mom comments. 

“And, as you’ve noticed, she’s rarely alone.” Beth adds. “The only time I’ve seen her walk or ride on her own is to and from work.” 

“Mainly cause it’s too early in the morning to bug my friends to join me.” I finish for her, and we all laugh. 

Once we’re done supper, Barnes rolls out his vintage ice cream cooler and asks us which of the 6 flavours we want. He starts off with Cassandra who asks for some raspberry cheesecake. 

I pick one scoop of double chocolate, and then a scoop of mint chocolate chip.

As he moves over to Travis, Cass leans over to me. “Rose, what time to you intend on going to bed tonight?” 

“I don’t know why?” I ask. 

“With that much chocolate, I don’t see you winding down till 1am.” Leilani finishes for her, reading our girlfriend’s thoughts. 

“At least I didn’t ask for the chocolate syrup toping.” I grin and my girlfriends shake their heads. 

Beth is smiling and Mom finally catches on to the conversation. “Does sugar affect Rose in a certain way?” 

“Rose has ADD.” Travis answers for me. “She uses sugar way more effectively than most of us do. She can get 3 times more hyper and go 3 times longer than I can on the same piece of chocolate.” 

“It gets fun.” I say with a grin.

“Unless you’re stuck in class where you fidget and pester everyone around you.” Cassandra grumbles. 

“I still need to set up my wardrobe.” I change topic.

“And dance while you do it with all that ice cream in you.” Leilani says. 

“The closet is big enough for it.” Cassandra smiles. 

We finish up supper talking about how I’m going to sort out my clothing, before excusing ourselves and heading back upstairs. 


	33. Sunday Settling In

“It feels weird not having to do the dishes.” Tina comments as we reach the second landing. 

“I know, I had to stop myself from asking if I can help clean up, it’s become a habit.” I reply. 

Beth calls up to us before we start climbing up to the third. I look down at her. “Dad says he’s sorry that the Internet isn’t set up in your room yet, but that it’ll all be connected tomorrow by the time you get home.”

“Okay, thanks.” I call back down and we start heading back up to my room. 

“So, no online gaming tonight?” Cassandra inquires. 

“No online gaming tonight.” I reply. 

“How much longer can you stay?” I ask Travis - as he’s driving them home. 

“Till we get you all unpacked, I want to spend as much time with you today as possible.” He replies, and the girls nod in agreement. 

We spend an hour sorting out my wardrobe, I’m not even taking up half of the space. Everything is within reach with a shelf at the top to store boxes and rarely used items. With all the shelves and drawers in the closet, I’m now at a loss as to where to put all my photos. I don’t want to clutter the small double vanity with them, that’s where I have most of my makeup now. I opt to use some of the unused bookshelf space in the lounge. They almost look like they blend in with the rest of my artwork and art supplies. 

Once all the unpacking is done. We sit down in the pillow area of the bedroom. There are half a dozen bean-bag like cushions. So we piled them all up, and are all cuddled up together. Travis is using the wall as a back rest. I’m laying in Travis’s lap, with Cassandra on my left, Leilani on my right, and Tina in my lap. Seeing as we only have wifi right now, we’re all playing on our phones. I occasionally pop into my support group to let them know that I’ve moved and mostly settled in, and my new room is as big your average one-bedroom apartment! Soon I’ve given up on my game and start chatting with them all in our support room.

-= Jane =- So, you like your new digs?

-= Rose =- This room is amazing! I feel like I still have my own place, the only thing I’m really missing here is a full kitchen. 

-= Sam =- And Internet it seems, chat says you’re on your mobile. 

-= Rose =- Yeah, no Internet for my computer till tomorrow. That’s okay, this is cozy, we’re all cuddled up on the cushions in the bedroom’s sitting area. 

-= Sam =- Who’s we?

-= Rose =- Tina, Travis, Leilani and Cassandra are here with me, they helped me get unpacked and settled - otherwise it would have taken me a week!

-= Jane =- So you are dating your soccer wingman now, eh?

-= Rose =- :blush: Yeah, she asked to be my girlfriend on Wednesday, and it’s sort of propelled from there!

-= Jane =- Define ‘propelled’ 

-= Rose =- Well, she was the second one that woke up this morning… 

-= Diane =- You haven’t even been dating a week, and you’ve already slept with her?

-= Rose =- Well, if you look at it that way, we weren’t even dating yet, and we slept together. 

-= Diane =- :blush: Oh.. Right.

-= Jane =- Touché :oD

“Who are you chatting with Rose?” Tina asks. “You’re typing a lot.”

“My support group.” I reply. “We try to keep in touch with each other every few days.”

-= Diane =- Speaking of dating, weren’t you supposed to call my later?

-= Rose =- Dee my Darlin’ I’ve been really busy.

-= Diane =- Hmmm.. I can hear that lovely accent of yours every time you type that. :-*

“By the look on her face I’d say her girlfriend is in the chat room.” Cassandra teases me. 

“What are you chatting about?” Leilani asks. 

“We’re chatting about Tina.” I reply. 

“Oh really?” Tina looks up now interested. 

“Jane is teasing me that Tina’s already my girlfriend and that we made it home base in less than a week.” 

“Now that I think of it, you and Dee weren’t even dating when you slept together.” 

“That was my come-back.” I giggle. 

“You talk about stuff like that with your support group?” Travis says, looking over my shoulder. 

“We’re all good friends, any topic is open for discussion, though important or intimate conversations are taken to private channels.” I look up and give him a surprise kiss - seeing as he’s leaning so close to try to read my screen. 

“Talking about who you sleep with isn’t an intimate conversation?” Cassandra asks. 

“Well, it’s not like I’m going into details about it.” I say matter-of-fact. 

“I’ve heard you guys say more intimate stuff around the supper table after game.” Tina chuckles. 

“Can’t be helped.” Leilani giggles. 

“I’d say it’s because you have no filter.” I start teasing Leilani. “But I think we’re all guilty of that by now.” 

“I’m not broadcasting to the team that I’ve slept with you.” Tina say in a serious tone. 

“Then I won’t bring it up.” I bring my hand down and caress her cheek.

“I’m sure some of them are bound to figure it out on their own, depending on how cuddly you two are on the bench between plays.” Cassandra smiles playfully. 

“It won’t take long to figure out that they’re at least dating when they start kissing in the halls.” Travis adds. 

“I haven’t started being that affectionate with her in school have I?” Tina suddenly looks surprised. 

My friends just smile and Tina hides her face in her hands embarrassed. 

“What was it my mother said on Friday?” Travis chuckles. 

“I’m possibly the worst good influence she’s ever met for a girlfriend.” I smile. 

“I’d say that sums up Rose pretty nicely.” Cassandra quips. 

I look down at my screen to see what my support group is talking about. Mostly stuff to do with classes and studying for midterms. 

-= Sam =- I haven’t seen Tony for awhile what’s up with him?

-= Diane =- He’s got some big term assignment that’s coming up, I’ve not seen him all week. 

-= Winny =- Hey everyone!

There is a round of everyone greeting Winny as she logs in. 

-= Winny =- Where’s Lisa?

-= Jane =- With her boyfriend, I wouldn’t expect to hear from her till after class tomorrow.

-= Rose =- Or maybe later. ;o) They make such an adorable couple. 

-= Jane =- How’s classes Winn?

-= Winny =- Busy! I thought it was supposed to get easier once you reach your Masters!

-= Sam =- My cousin was trying to scare me the other day when he told me that it’s nothing till you start having to work on your thesis for graduate studies. 

There’s a knock on the door. I call out that it’s open. I don’t want to have to get up to open the door.   
One of the maids pokes her head in. “How much longer are your friends going to stay over? Pierre is wondering if he should prepare an evening snack.”

“That sounds like a wonderful idea.” Travis says, I hear his tummy grumble in response. 

“The walking stomach.” Cassandra teases him and we laugh. 

“That would be wonderful, tell Pierre we’ll be down in 10 minutes.” I reply. 

“Yes m’lady” she curtsies and leaves. 

“Wow, it’s like being treated like royalty, I’m now jealous that you’re going to be living here.” Tina says mildly surprised. 

“You sure I can’t live here with you?” Leilani gives me puppy dog eyes. 

“I don’t think you’re parents would approve of that my love. Besides, where would I go in the mornings after work if you are living here?” I say softly. 

Leilani looks thoughtful. “Either way, you would be coming home to me, I call that a win in any situation.” She says sweetly. 

“Not yet my darlin’ okay?” I lean over and give her a kiss. 

“Okay…” she says is a disappointed tone. 

“I hope the staff will stop calling me ‘miss’ and ‘my lady’ once I encourage them to call me Rose.. They all call Beth by her first name. Well, let’s get downstairs and see what the cook has in mind…” I say as I motion to get up.

We slowly untangle ourselves and head downstairs. I’ve never been to the kitchen before. Opposite to the dining room seems to be a large great room with a piano. This is probably some sort of ballroom. Past the great room, we find a large living room or lounge. 

I suddenly catch of whiff of something cooking. I notice Travis picks it up too. We follow the smell and find ourselves in a large kitchen at the back of the house. 

A middle-aged man with an apron suddenly looks up from the cooking surface. “Oh, mon dieux, what h’are you doing ‘ere?” he says in a thick accent. 

“Pardonnez-nous.” I say politely. “Someone said you would have a snack for my friends and I.” I switch to a language my friends will understand. 

He picks up that I know more than Simlish. “Ah, voyons! Dans le salon, pas la cuisine!” he says upset. 

“He wants us to wait in the living room, and stay out of his kitchen.” I tell my friends. 

“Merci Pierre, nous allons retourner au salon.” I reply that we’ll go back to the lounge. 

He smiles that I’m using my mother tongue, I don’t think there are many here in the house that do. He nods and we turn around. 

“That is so amazing!” Tina says as we go back to the living room. “I think you just scored some bonus points with the cook."

“That is impressive, can you teach me how to speak like that?” Travis says. 

“Well, like Cassandra’s native language, it’s not easy to learn, it has a lot of complicated grammar rules, and exceptions to the grammar rules..” 

“And exceptions to those.” Cassandra finishes for me. “Not to mention articulation.” 

“My brother once joked that it made him a better kisser.” I smile. 

“Why’s that?” Leilani asks. “Not that I’m going to argue with the idea.” She says flirtatiously. 

“Well, a lot of the vowel combinations require some real lip and tongue work.” I reply. Like saying ‘huile’ which means oil.” 

“Hmm, so that what makes you such an amazing kisser.” Tina says fondly. 

We’re just sitting down on a comfy couch surrounding a large coffee table when Pierre comes out with the tray of food. 

“Un gouter pour mes jeunes amis!” he says with a smile. “Bonne appetit!” 

“Merci beaucoup Pierre.” I smile back. 

“Bienvenue Rose, bon soir.” He smiles back. 

“Well at least one of the staff call you by your first name.” Cassandra smiles as she reaches for the garlic cheese toast bruschetta he made for us. There are glasses of milk on the tray as well. 

“It’s probably easier for him to say my first name than try to pronounce my last name with his strong accent.” I grin, reaching for some myself. 

“Oh, there you all are!” Says the maid who had called us down. “When you’re done, just leave the tray there, I’ll come by later and clean it up.” 

“Thank you…” I start as I don’t know her name. 

“Elise Ma’am. Many of these rooms have a bell, just ring if you need anything.” She bows and heads off into the kitchen.

Elise soon comes out with a smaller tray of what my friends are eating and heads off to another part of the house. 

“So what else does this house have?” Tina gets curious as we munch on our snack. 

“I have no idea.” I reply. 

“Do you think they would get upset with us if we explore?” Travis adds. 

“I doubt it, as long as we stay out of bedrooms, the rest of the house should be accessible.” I say thoughtfully.

Once we’re done eating, we head back to the foyer. As we walk through the ball room, Cassandra stops. 

“Rose, can you play something for us?” she looks at me hopefully. 

“Yeah, the acoustics in here should be amazing!” Travis adds. 

“Let’s hope they keep it in tune.” I reply and sit down at the bench. 

Cassandra is all giddy, and Travis looks on in anticipation. “She any good?” Tina asks, not having heard me play before. 

“You’re going to love this!” Cassandra beams. 

“What do you want to hear?” I ask. 

“Something we haven’t heard before.” Travis says. 

I look thoughtful. I think I know a good song… And I start playing ‘100 years’. Tina is picking up on the tune, and Leilani smiles as she knows I’m about to sing. Tina is spellbound, the acoustics in this room is amazing! And my voice resounds through the ballroom along with the piano. Travis spots something he can use as drumsticks, and he taps out the beat softly on the piano. 

“That is incredible!” Tina exclaims. “Can you play something else?” 

“Hmm.. This is one of the songs that George and his band played. Travis, do you know the words to ‘The Way it is?’ It’ll sound better if you sing it.”

Travis looks thoughtful. “Yeah…” 

I nod and start playing the song. And I was right, Travis does sound better at signing this than I would have. 

“Rose, where did you learn to play like that?” Tina says amazed. 

“Ten years classical training from what her brother tells me.” Mom’s voice rings out as she comes in from the foyer. “I’ll have to pull out Doug’s old drum kit so that Travis has something better than the piano to rap on. 

Wherever did you find those old drumsticks?” 

Travis and I blush. “They were hidden behind a planter.” Travis replies. 

Mom smiles. “I see your brother’s praise of your artistic talents is well warranted.”

“How about one that you can sing Rose, I love your voice.” Leilani says. 

I nod and start playing ‘Beautiful’. Leilani’s eyes light up, as she waits till the chorus line, and starts signing with me. And then we start signing to each other. 

“What about that song that I love so much?” Cassandra asks. 

I smile and start signing ‘Thousand Miles’. Cassandra’s eyes go to that glassy adoration as I start to sign to her. Once I’m done playing I turn in the bench and my girlfriend melts into my arms.

“Your knowledge of contemporary music is pretty impressive.” Mom smiles. “There is another music hall beside the dining room. Follow me.”

We get up and follow Mom through the foyer, and into a 2nd door alongside the stairs. As she turns on the lights my eyes light up with joy. There is an upright piano, drum set, guitar, base, cello, a couple of violins, a trumpet, and a trombone. 

“My father-in-law used to be a jazz player. He set up this music room for private performances.” 

It’s now that I realize that we’re standing on a stage, there are steps down to a half dozen 4-chair round tables, and a bar at the far end. 

“Amazing!” Travis exclaims. 

“We have a musician come in and keep them all tuned every 3 months.” Mom continues. “In case anyone ever wants to use them.” 

“I need to touch up on my guitar skill.” Tina says thoughtfully. 

“You play the guitar Tina?” Leilani asks surprised. 

“Well, I’m not that good.” She says blushing. 

I walk over to the guitar. “Think you can play this? ‘Realize’ is a relatively easy song.” 

“I know the beat for that song!” Travis says excitedly, hopping over to the drums.

“I could probably play this base along with you.” Tina ventures. 

“It’s a good start.” I smile. 

Mom, Leilani and Cassandra walk down the steps and sit at the first table. 

I tap out my foot, and start playing. Travis is even better on a full set of drums. Tina’s a good backup player, as well as backup vocals.

“How about you play one more?” Mom asks, enjoying hearing me play. 

I start playing ‘You and Me’, and Cassandra suddenly gets excited and hops up on the stage and grabs one of the violins to play the few bars that the song requires it. I drift between Tina and Cassandra as I sing the song. The song has a bit of a suggestive nature to it, and I make sure one girlfriend doesn’t feel more special than the other. 

Once we’re done playing. Mom and Leilani clap. 

“I have access to drums here, I may be dropping by more often my dear.” Travis says excitedly. 

“I’m glad you are all enjoying yourselves.” Mom smiles happily. “It’s been awhile since we’ve had excited young folk around here.” 

“Well, Rose is not without a fan base.” Cassandra says affectionately. 

“Really?” Mom says curiously. 

“In one month, I somehow became one of the most popular girls in school. I swear, all I did was start playing soccer!” I say to her. 

“You are way too modest.” Tina says leaning against me.

“Well, Beth did say you were very charismatic, it wouldn’t surprise me.” Mom smiles. “Well, it’s getting late, I have to be at the bakery early tomorrow. I’ll be retiring, have a good night.”

She gets up, and climbs back up to the stage. “Good night my dear.” Mom smiles, and gives me a motherly kiss on the cheek before heading out.” 

“I like Beth’s Mom.” Leilani says happily. “She’s so nice.” 

“Yes, Beth is so much like her, it makes it easy to be comfortable around her family.” I smile. 

“Let’s see what else the house has!” Travis says excitedly. 

We wander through the house. There is a beautiful patio and a large pool, but no more rooms that we can access - some look reserved for staff. I’ll ask about them later. Upstairs, the left wing looks like servant quarters, the way the doors are laid out. In the right wing, below my bedroom, we find a large library, a media room, and a games room with a billiards table. There is also a study, where we find dad going over some paperwork. 

“Evening Rose, you and your friends exploring?” I nod. “Dave says you’re quite artistic and can work with any medium, you might find the craft and sewing room across the hall interesting.” My eyes grow wide and sparkle. “Go on, this is your home now.” 

My friends and I dash across the hall and open the door to the sewing room. There are two sewing machines, and a large table with a measured grid - most likely set up to design patterns and cut fabric, as there are about 20 reams of different coloured material in a long, narrow shelving unit. Other shelves are stocked with tools: 5 sizes of scissors, glue guns, carving tools, leather tools, staplers… On the wall is an entire rack of various spools of thread of just about every colour imaginable. 

“GeekCon costume central.” Cassandra grins.

“Definitely!” With this, I’ll just need to buy materials and we can make all of our costumes ourselves!” I say excitedly. 

“You mean you can make me my moon priestess robes here?” Leilani says surprised. 

“And have them form fitting to your every curve like they do with your character my love” I smile excitedly. 

“Yes!” she says excitedly, and gives Travis and I kisses. 

“I learned to sew in Home Ec, but I never had access to a room like this!” Tina says in amazement. 

“Well girlfriend, we’ll need to find you a Refuge Online character class and we’ll make all of our costumes here. Then you could come with us to GeekCon and enter the costume contest.” 

“I’ve only been to GeekCon once, and that does sound interesting…” Tina says looking over the room. “Wait… are you trying to drag me into your geek activities?”

“It would mean spending more time with me.” I say sweetly. 

“Travis is right. You are the worst good influence I’ve ever met…” She says with a sly smile. We all laugh at her comment. 


	34. Ending a Busy Day

We head up to the 3rd floor, I take note that I’d love to dig through that library if I ever have the time. The top floor is composed of the master suites where the family lives. It’s easy to see that the left wing is like the right. The widely space doors could only mean suites, like the one I’m now sleeping in. 

As my girlfriends’ clothing got mixed in mine, we spend a few minutes reassembling Tina’s and Cassandra’s beach bags from what we had put away in the closet. With Beth arriving so soon after the laundry was done, we didn’t have much more time than to stuff their things into a suitcase and bring them with us. 

“Are weekends with you usually like this?” Tina comments as we walk out of the closet. 

“They fluctuate.” Cassandra smiles. “But she’s almost always doing something. I sometimes wonder how I’ll ever keep up with her.” 

“After the dance Friday we’ll probably just chill.” Travis says hopefully. 

“And Monday I’m going to Zoe’s place to finish our Geo project, might be a good idea for you two to do the same.” 

“That’s a good idea.” Cassandra says. “Are you going to busy with Zoe all day? I’m sure my parents would love to have you over for a harvest dinner, mom’s hinted that we can make it Sunday or Monday - depending on your schedule.”

“I’d be honored.” I smile. “Maybe make it Sunday to be on the safe side. That way I don’t miss supper with your family if we hit a snag on our project.” 

“Sunday it is then.” Cassandra grins and gives me a hug. 

“What will you be doing Saturday?” Tina asks curiously. 

“I don’t know.. Cycling?” I look to Travis.

“We’ll have to keep an eye on the weather to see if we can.” Travis smiles. 

“Will I be in on this one?” Leilani looks at us expectantly. 

Tina watches the exchange. “Is there something special about these bike rides?” 

“Not really, we just ride around, enjoy lunch, then ride some more…” I reply calmly. 

“Just not always on the bike.” Cassandra says suggestively.

Travis blushes and Leilani grins, it takes Tina a moment to catch on the play on words. 

“Oh really?” she gives a sly smile. “So that’s how you and Travis get around his parents?” 

Travis blushes deeper. “It started off with finding a secluded glade to kiss and, well, grew from there.” 

“Even though this bedroom is beautiful, I doubt we’d be able to do anything here. Seeing as some of my lovers are a little vocal, I’m sure my in-laws wouldn’t appreciate it any more than any of your parents.” 

“I’m still surprised Cassandra slept through all of that.” Tina grins. 

Cassandra puts up a finger… “No, I don’t want to know.” 

“Lets just say that none of my previous boyfriends have ever come close to what Rose did for me last night.” She slides her arms around my waste. 

“Or this morning.” I give her a kiss. 

“Hmm.. Definitely need to try that position again.” Tina purrs. 

“She’s just as bad as you Leilani.” Cassandra comments. 

“I can’t help it, Rose is irresistible!” Leilani says defensively. 

“She sure is...” Tina and Travis say together. They all look at each other and start to laugh.

“If the four of you go ‘riding’ on Saturday, I don’t want to hear what you were up to.” Cassandra rolls her eyes as she starts looking over my bookcase to get away from our overt flirting. 

“You know that might not be a bad idea…” Leilani says suggestively. 

“You are incorrigible!” I gasp at my girlfriends suggestion. 

“You could always join us Cassandra.” Leilani says suggestively. 

“Will you stop trying to seduce my girlfriend, I haven’t even had the chance to sleep with her yet!” I scold Leilani. 

Cassandra buries her head in my back in embarrassment. “You people are a horrible influence.” 

We all start laughing. I turn around and hold Cassandra. She pulls herself close to me, and whispers into my ear. “I’m sorry, I’m not ready for what you all share yet.” 

I gently rub her back. “And I will wait till you are.” I say softly. 

“You are so patient with me.” She looks up into my eyes. “What did I do to deserve you?”

“I told you this morning, you were the friend I needed the most, my support, my confidant. In your arms I found a love like no other.” I caress her cheek. “Our friendship means the world to me, intimacy is just a bonus, not the end goal.” 

“Thank you.” Cassandra leans against my shoulder and sighs. 

“And there’s the shy geek I’ve known all these years.” Tina smiles. 

“Yeah, she gets bold around Rose, but she still has her limits.” Travis smiles. 

Cassandra looks at Tina curious. 

Tina walks up to Cassandra, putting an arm on each of us. “Cassandra, you hang around with the same small group of friends every year, I’ve been the one to keep the other jocks from teasing you about it.”

Cassandra tilts her head. “Why?”

“When I first move here, I was having trouble with math, and you tutored me. Though it probably meant nothing to you, as you were helping other kids in the study group that year, it meant a lot to me. I didn’t know anyone in Willow Creek, yet you showed me that people here care. So this scared city girl got the nerve to join a team and made friends.” She gives Cassandra a squeeze. “Since that day I’ve made sure that no one teased or bothered you, and left your friends alone.” 

“You and Rose are so much alike.” Cassandra smiles. “I can see why you were drawn to her.”

“Well, just between you and me, I’m sort of glad Rose has more than one girlfriend. Like you and Travis, I don’t know if I could keep up with her all the time.” 

“You all make it sound like I have more energy than any of you…” I start. 

“On some days you do.” Travis admits. “I know I could never keep up with you if you really wanted to have a satisfying bike ride.” 

“I can’t keep up with you when you jog.” Leilani adds. 

“I know she’s fast, I had trouble keeping up with her on the field, but she bikes that fast?” Tina looks at my lovers. 

“I’ve been stopped 3 times for speeding over 50 km/h on a peddle bike… really not hard do zero to 55 in the first block to keep up with traffic, not when you can push over 200 kilos with your legs.” I finish. 

Tina looks down at my legs, then back up at me. “I told my brother that you’re easily 2-3 times stronger than me… I was just estimating, but I was actually telling him the truth!” 

“She threw Tom 3 meters like he was a rag doll!” Travis says in wonder. 

“It was 2 meters, and please, don’t tell anyone else, I don’t like loosing my temper and hurting people.” I say pleadingly. 

My friends cluster around me in a group hug. “We love you too much to do something like that.” Travis says. 

“It’s come with a side benefit.” Tina smiles. 

“Oh?” I ask her.

“Tom’s been so much nicer since he learned that we’re going to be dating. I’ve never seen my brother afraid of anyone else besides my Dad. He doesn’t dare upset me for fear of angering you again.” Tina smiles. 

“You know you could use that…” Travis starts. 

“No.” I say firmly. “I want people’s love and respect, not their fear. I left that monster behind me last year, and never want to see him again.”

“Yes dear.” Travis says putting his head down. 

“I’m sorry honey, I didn’t mean to snap at you.” I say apologetically. 

“No, you’re right, it was wrong for me to bring it up.” Travis says with a slight smile. 

“I can imagine you don’t want to see him at all.” Cassandra comments. 

“That too.” I smile and caress her cheek. “I shed that part of me to become the girl I am today.” 

“I can imagine it felt like shedding a skin.” Tina observes. 

“None of my old clothing fit me by the end of the summer. Bottoms were either too lose or too tight due to my hips being wider, but my waist slimmer. And tops were baggy except for in the chest where it was uncomfortable.” I agree with her.

“And these are still growing.” Leilani says, reaching for my breasts from behind. 

We laugh as my girlfriend gives my globes and affectionate squeeze. 

“I’ve never been so obviously turned on by another girl before as I am with Rose. The first day we snuggled together and watched movies I wanted to kiss her so bad!” Leilani leans her head against my back.

“So that’s why your snuggling was turning me on that night.” I comment and I can feel her smile. “I actually left early cause I was worried you’d feel me getting hard. That would have been really awkward to come out to you on the first day we met.” 

“When you are turned on, it’s really hard to keep my hands off of you.” Leilani snuggles into my back. “It’s like you broadcast your arousal, and all I want to do is take your clothes off and make love to you.” 

“So I’m not the only one who feels that?” Travis says in agreement. “Soon as Rose is turned on, I instantly get hard.” 

“It has some advantages.” I tease my boyfriend. “Like our music room quickie.” 

“That was definitely needed after what you were like all morning.” Travis smiles. 

“I thought that’s what you two were up to.” Cassandra shakes her head.

“It was a win-win situation.” Travis says. “We didn’t get caught, and we were much calmer the rest of the afternoon.” He grins. 

“Rose is my first girlfriend as well.” Tina comments. “I don’t know if it’s because of what you mention or if I just dated guys cause that’s what my parents expected me to do.”

“Do you like boys?” Leilani probes. 

“They’re not that bad, most boyfriends I’ve been with had no stamina though.” Tina responds. “I used to think it was cause I was that good that I got guys off that fast.” 

“Did you meet your match last night?” Leilani teases. 

“I’ve never had so many orgasms in one love making session.” Tina says wistfully. “She can even keep going after getting off and orgasm a second time.” 

“You mean that’s not normal?” Travis seems confused. 

“Apparently not.” I answer for him, every non-virgin that I’ve slept with seem to be amazed I can do that.” 

Tina suddenly looks to Travis. “Oh wow, you mean, you can do that too!?”

“I didn’t know it was unusual. I was just trying to keep up with Rose.” Travis tries to downplay his lovemaking. 

“I think we need to tone down the sexual conversation.” Cassandra comments. “Before we get ourselves in trouble and start something.” Is she feeling something up front?

“Darn, I was hoping to build up to some fun.” Leilani pouts. 

“I swear your libido is higher than mine…” I tease Leilani who squeezes my boobs and snuggles closer. 

Okay, she is trying to get me aroused on purpose.

“Leilani, what did you just do?” Cassandra asks. Okay, she’s definitely feeling something.

“Nothing.” Leilani giggles. 

“I don’t think we’re ready for what happens together with Rose aroused, please stop it.” Cassandra says in a concerned voice. 

“I don’t know, I think I could handle that.” Tina gets a seductive smile on her face. 

“I know right, she’s no fun.” Leilani pouts. 

“Considering that Cass would be the first target, it might not be fair to her.” Travis smiles. 

“Okay, let me go!” Cassandra says in a worried tone. 

We start laughing again, breaking the sexual tension building. 

“Cassandra my love, you are so adorable.” I sigh as we all calm down and do break our group hug. 

“As tempting as what you are suggesting is, my little chocolate nymph, you need to go home tonight.” I tap her nose playfully. 

“Darn.” Leilani sighs. I’m about to say something. “I know, my parents don’t approve of how sexually active I am…” 

“Maybe once you hit 18, they won’t be so overly protective.” I say softly. 

“You know, that’s next month.” Leilani says suggestively. 

“We’ll have to make a big celebration of it.” I smile and give her a sweet loving kiss. 

“Hmmff..” She moans and falls into my arms. 

“Wow, it doesn’t take much to get her going…” Tina quirks and eyebrow. 

“Not normally no.” Travis responds. 

I break the kiss and Leilani smiles, snuggling into me. “You still need to go home my love.” 

“Awe…” she pouts. 

“You should head out, she’s bound to get more insistent the later it gets.” I comment.

“Yeah…” Travis frowns. 

“Let me see you to the door.” I smile. 

Travis pretty much pulls Leilani off of me, and she snuggles into him instead. “She’s so clingy when she’s tired.” He says with a grim smile. 

“You still love me though.” Leilani says softly. 

“More than I thought I would.” Travis admits to her.

Tina and Cassandra put their arms around me and we walk like that till we get to the stairs, then only hold hands so that we can walk down safely. I see them to the van, the tree frogs are out, and you can hear the chirps of their calls. 

I give Leilani a kiss and pick her up and put her in the van. “She might fall asleep on you, do you think you can carry her into the house?” 

“I might not have a choice.” Travis chuckles. “I’m sure I can get her parents help if I need to.” 

“Thank you for the most amazing weekend.” Tina puts her arms around me and gives me a long loving kiss. 

“I hope it won’t be the only time.” 

I smile and give her another kiss before she she climbs in the van. 

Next is Cassandra. “You are a puzzle.” She says holding me close.” 

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” I smile. 

She lets go, placing her hand on my cheek and gives me a soft loving kiss. “You worry me sometimes.” 

“I told you my love, I might tease, but I will never do something you don’t want. The day we take our relationship further, I don’t want there to be regrets.” I smile.

“Okay.” She nods and smiles. “I love you so much.” 

“I love you too.” I give her another kiss before she goes around the van and climbs into the front passenger seat. 

I finally turn to Travis. “Drive safe my love.” 

“If it means coming back to your arms, always.” He smiles. 

I smile, and give him a deep loving kiss. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.” He smiles and climbs into the van. 

I step back as he starts up the engine. He carefully backs up till he reaches a point to turn around, and drive out. I watch them for a few moments, till the van pulls on to the road and speeds off to town. 

I shiver, it’s getting cold out, and head back inside. The house is quiet, as most people have gone to bed. I remind myself that this household starts early, so few of them stay up late. Which means, I should be heading to bed myself. Monday morning is going to come earlier than I want. 

I quietly walk back up to my expansive room. I still can’t believe I live here now. While I miss Doug’s small little 2 bedroom house, this is nice. 

I turn off all of the lights in my room as I make my way to the bed. I change into my night shirt, depositing my sundress and halter into the laundry basket. I turn off the main light, leaving the curtains open, so that I can navigate the room in moonlight that enters through the windows. I get into the very comfortable bed, and sigh. This is nice. 

It’s been a busy day, like Leilani, I am more tired than I let on, and it doesn’t take long for me to fall asleep. 


	35. Monday Morning Already

My phone goes off, fortunately to music this time. The last alarm app update gave me the option to link my alarm to my Simify account, and so - like Doug’s alarm clock - I can wake up to music in the morning. Frankly I think this is better, as I can chose the playlist instead of whatever is playing on the radio first thing in the morning.

I’m getting into my work outfit when there is a soft knock on my door. 

“You decent in here?” Beth’s voice calls out as I come out of the bedroom portion, buttoning up my blouse. She watches me for a moment. “I’m surprised Mom & Dad didn’t comment on the amount of hickeys you have on your body, the sundress didn’t hide any of them yesterday.”

I blush as I finish buttoning up my blouse. “I think Mom was surprised enough how cuddly my lovers and I were on the beach to mention anything else.” 

Beth giggles. “Do you usually eat something before work?”

“Nothing fancy, normally just a protein drink, toaster strudel or Eggo sandwich.” I reply. 

“Eggo sandwich?” Beth gives me a puzzled look. 

“Yeah, toast some Eggos, once they’re done, put jam on one side, plain yogurt on the other, squish them together, and they make a yummy breakfast sandwich.” I grin. 

Beth smiles and shakes her head. 

“Hey, I didn’t have a lot of money growing up, I had to improvise on relatively cheap quick & easy meals.” I say defensively. 

“Fair enough.” Beth smiles. “I’ll see what we can whip up for you before we leave. I don’t think Pierre keeps pre-cooked freezer foods handy, he sees them as the trappings for the lazy.” 

We head downstairs as Beth is typing on her phone. Mom & Dad are up as well, and just finishing their breakfast. 

“There’s a tray of muffins that Elise baked this morning if you want something small, and don’t have time to get Pierre to cook you something. 

I get close to the tray and pick a up a Blueberry muffin, spotting butter, I slice the muffin in half, and put butter in it. The muffin is still warm, and it melts the butter. I grab an applesauce crumble muffin next and do the same. 

“There’s banana chocolate chip if you want something sweeter.” Mom says. 

“Thank you, but I’m still supposed to keep my potassium intake low till I’ve fully switched over to my new anti-androgen.” I reply sadly. “My last visit to my endo, she switched my pills, as I was experiencing some bad side effects. It was starting to affect how long I could stay out in the sun. Being a potassium diuretic it also meant I couldn’t eat bananas without feeling ill. I’m feeling better on the new pills, but it’s only been than a week, so some of the old stuff is still in my system.” 

“Those medications you take have a lot of risks?” Mom asks now concerned. 

“My estrogen pills can possibly cause blood clots, so I take a blood thinner with them. Fortunately I have low blood pressure, so I don’t have to worry about some other complications. I’m also on a lower dosage compared to most of my trans friends, so I’m less at risk.” I smile. 

I start munching on the blueberry muffin, as Beth has sat down to grab something quick to eat. 

“Why is your dosage lower?” Mom asks. 

“Apparently, when I started my medical transition, my hormone levels were androgynous. My endo figures I would have had a very uniform figure had my swim coach not forced me into weight lifting. Like how I used to be fairly thin and effeminate before I started. My doctor has wondered if I may have been born intersex or with a gender variance, but with my father being uncooperative, we can’t get access to my birth records without his approval.” 

“I see.” Says mom thoughtfully. “So you’ve always been more of a girl than a boy?” 

“I’ve seen pictures of her when she was younger mom, she was never a very masculine person.” Beth adds. 

I look at my muffin. “It wasn’t easy, I was never a ‘guy’, and would be teased and tormented for being too girly.” I look up. “With having excess energy with my ADD, throwing me at physically demanding sports to ‘man me up’ was my father’s solution.” 

“Dear, I know this is an upsetting topic for you, you can stop at any time.” Mom says suddenly breaking me out of my downward spiral monologue.

I blink, feeling the tears that were starting to form and take a deep breath. “Sorry, It’s hard to stop myself when I uncork a bad memory, it just keeps spiraling down till I have a meltdown.” I shake my head, trying to get the memory out of my mind. 

Mom gets up and pulls me into a hug. “I’m sorry that you’ve had such a hard life dear. Dave has said he tried to protect you as much as he could, but wasn’t always successful.” 

I let go of her and wipe off the tear that finally escaped, reach back for a napkin and blow my nose. I take deep breath and try best to smile. 

“I do have good memories.” The times I’d spend with Dave. My art teacher discovering my talents and working with me more to perfect it. My music lessons where I learned the piano. While I had some very mean teachers that couldn’t cope with my ADD, I’ve had some phenomenal people in my life that have tried to keep my grounded.”

I take off my glasses and wipe my eyes. “People have praised me for being a strong woman, where - for me - it was just a matter of survival. I wasn’t going to let those who rather see me fail win…. As much as it hurt to keep going on, I wasn’t going to give up on life.” My voice gets really low. “As close as that came more than once.” 

Mom gasps. “Rose, did you…” 

“I don’t think that Dave knows the full story, but 41% of transgender identified teens will attempt suicide before they reach 25.” I pull back my sleeve, showing my cutting marks, some of them quite deep by the remaining scar. “I’m one of those.” I give a half smile. “I’m just glad that it was the one time I did fail at something, or I wouldn’t be here today.” 

Mom hugs me close. “I wish we had known about you sooner dear. No one deserves that kind of life.” 

“It’s probably why Dave sent me here. He was worried he may not be enough to help. I mostly relied on my support group this summer, he was so often busy in the lab at school. When Dave gets involved in a project, he can get lost in it. Like me, he’ll hyper-focus on a task he’s set on. If he didn’t come home for supper, I’d bring him something to eat. I sometimes think we both have ADD, he just somehow manages it better than I do.”

I’m a lot calmer now that I’m no longer focused on my own dark thoughts. 

“Well, that would explain why I have trouble keeping up with him at times.” Beth looks thoughtful. 

“More than one of my loves have said that they are glad I have more than one relationship, none of them think they can keep up with me on their own.” I chuckle. “It’s like they spread out my energy to that they can deal with it better.” 

“Well, that would certainly explain how you ended up with four relationships.” Beth replies.

“And two up north, and maybe two more after I gave Zoe and Trent kisses goodnight on Saturday.” 

Beth gives me ‘the look’. 

“Yes, I know, I shouldn’t have kissed them.. It just .. Happened.” I sigh and admit it’s my fault. 

“Like how you just managed to sleep with one of your trans friends and a boy older than your brother in a weekend on your own?” Beth scolds me. 

“I…” I start. 

“I know, you have trouble saying ‘no’ to people when the come on to you, that naturally flirtatious nature of yours gains a lot of infatuation from those you meet.” Beth looks at her watch. “We’ll talk about this on the drive to work, or we’ll be late.” 

“I’ll ride with you dear.” Mom says.

“You are very sexually active for such a young girl.” Mom says as we head out together to Beth’s SUV. I can hear the concern in her voice. 

“Well, I don’t just sleep with anyone. Before becoming physically intimate, I discuss with each one of my partners pregnancy concerns, and being clean. If there is any doubt, we use protection…” I start.

We get into the car, Mom looks at me with a combination of surprise and worry as I get in the back. As Beth pulls out, I go back to eating my breakfast as if it was a casual topic.

“Yes, there are times where she’s very mature for her age, despite being almost naive about other things.” Beth says. “I never know when I’ll see the young innocent girl or the experienced woman in her.” 

“There is more to our Rose than I ever expected.” Mom says in wonder. 

Beth changes topic, and they start talking shop. This topic can be brought up later, it’s time to get ready for work for the day. It’s interesting hearing the business side of how things are run, and I quietly pay attention - in case it’s ever up to me to help out.

“Oh, I forgot to put Rose’s bike back on my car yesterday.” Beth suddenly realizes that we may have forgotten something. 

“It’s okay.” I tell her. I pat my gym bag. “With going to the gym tonight, it would be inconvenient to ask Travis or Mr. Goth to carry it around - as they don’t have cycle racks for their cars.” 

“You know, there is a work-out room at the mansion.” Mom says. “It’s the door at the end of the servant’s wing on the second floor.” 

“Neat! Maybe I’ll go there on my own though.” I smile. “Mrs. Goth likes it when Travis, Cassandra and I join her. She says the Gym needs new members. And if Tina is serious, she’ll be joining us today as well.” 

“Tina, she’s the muscular brunette?” Mom asks and I nod. “You two are very much alike, more so than any of your other friends.” 

“It’s probably why we got along together from the day we met.” I smile happily. “She’s a great friend to have, on and off the field.”

“However do you pay for the Gym membership?” Her mom asks me. 

“You have to pay for the Gym?” I ask in surprise. “Mrs. Goth never mentioned anything about a membership price, she just asked us to join her.” 

Beth smiles. “Leave it the Goths to spoil Rose like she was their own daughter.” 

Mom smiles. “I guess she does have that affect on people, how do the Forrests treat you dear?” 

“I’m pretty much part of Leilani’s family, they seem to have no problem with my coming over for meals, or coming by early in the morning. Her mother has always been there to console me, council me or scold me for what’s going on in my life. I even caught myself calling her ‘Mama’ on Thursday.” 

“It’s the innocent part of her nature, it seems to draw parents to protect her.” Beth looks thoughtful. 

“I’m not like that with everyone, Travis’ parents don’t treat me like family, they treat me like I’m the not always good influential girlfriend.” I comment. 

“Really?” asks Beth. 

“Yeah, Friday night, when I went over to Travis’ place to watch movies she said I was the worst good influence they’ve ever met.” I reply. 

“Why is that?” Mom asks. 

“Well, I’m very active, so it’s pushed Travis to get out of the house more. With the Gym, he’s now in better shape. Because I rarely eat junk food, he’s also eating better than he used to.” I start. 

“Well that sounds all good to me…” Mom looks thoughtful. “I don’t see any negative influence in that.” 

Beth suddenly smiles as she gets it. “Only, since they’ve started dating, Travis is continually finding excuses to sneak off, so that he can sleep with his girlfriend.” 

I blush at her comment. 

“Oh really…” Mom says with realization. “So, she is just like Dave in that aspect then.” 

“Mom!” Beth says alarmed. “I wasn’t that bad with Dave…” 

“Oh yes you were daughter of mine, every time you heard he was coming down to visit Doug, you two were off doing something.” Mom teases Beth. 

I smile, this is a side of Dave and Beth I’d never heard of before. Which is why she always seems to know when I’ve been up to something. My mannerisms and temperament are so much like Dave’s, that she can tell what I’ve been up to based on my mood and reactions.

Mom’s expression suddenly changes. “Rose, have you had any operations?” 

“No, just hormones, down there I’m still stuck with what I was born with if that’s where you are going.” I reply nonchalant. 

Mom looks surprised at my answer. “Like I said, I never know when the straight-facts mature Rose will pop out, it can take some getting used to.” Beth comforts her mother. 

“I see.” Mom says thoughtfully, trying to sort out her next question. “So, Beth says that you and Travis…” 

“Are sexually active, yes.” I say flatly, I’m not going to hide it.

“Is Travis?”… she seems to be having trouble finding the words. 

“Travis is straight Mom.” I reply. “He treats me like a girl. He’s not interested in that part of my body. He ignores it completely when we’re intimate, never touches it, but does recognize it’s there. Which means I only have one other place for us to be intimate - outside of my chest that is.”

Beth giggles at my abruptness, and her mom takes a moment to process what I’m implying. “Oh…” she finally answers. 

“Travis is the least of my worries mom, it’s not like he can get her pregnant.” Beth replies. 

“Yes, I supposed that is one way of looking at it.” Mom smiles at last. “You are definitely a mystery my dear.”

“Even when I think I know Rose pretty well, she seems to pop up with something unexpected.” Beth smiles. “I feel it’ll be years before we really get the full picture of Rose, I wouldn’t be surprised if there are parts of Rose that not even Dave knows about.”

“I did surprise him last weekend in Britechester.” I say in a melancholy tone. 

“Yes you did, your sudden sexual maturity totally took him by surprise.” Beth answers. “He’ll get over it soon enough.” 

“He sort of encouraged my relationship with Monique, how did he not see where that would go?” I frown. 

“It’s when you went beyond Monique and started seeing others that’s what caught him by surprise. I think he figured you would have ended up like us, and been happy with just her.” Beth answers. 

“I know that’s what Monique would have preferred.” I grumble. 

“I saw how you two started drifting apart.” Beth says to me. “She wanted a monogamous relationship, you wanted to date more. It’s why I never berated you for seeing others. Unlike Dave, I don’t see a problem with you dating more than one person, though you might want to tone it down a little before you stretch yourself out too thin sister. As energetic as you are, you only have so much time.”

We pull alongside the bakery. “I know, thanks for being understanding Beth.” I smile. 

Lisa is waiting for us when we get to the café, and I greet her with a hug. 

“Riding with the boss, eh?” Lisa teases me. 

“I live in the same house as her now, so why not?” I smile.

Lisa gives me an odd look and Beth smiles. “Rose doesn’t live on her own anymore, while it means a longer commute to work, I would say her room at the manor is an upgrade to how she was living on her own.”

“It’s a gorgeous room!” I say happily. 

We head in and turn on the lights, I join Lisa in a moment once I get my apron and hat on. We chat idly as we get everything set for the day. When Beth heads next door for a refill on the pastry shelf Lisa leans to me. 

“So what’s the real reason you moved in with Beth’s family?” She gives me a concerned look. 

“My brother thinks this will tone down my promiscuous behavior, now that I have adults to supervise what I do on my spare time.” I say with a grim smile. 

“What do your boyfriend and girlfriends think of it?” Lisa inquires. 

“They’re not happy about what they perceive is limited availability. Mostly, no more showers or nights together.” I say without hiding anything. “I think we just need to get a little more creative with how we get together.” 

Lisa smiles. “You like looking at the positive side of things.” 

“It’s been my only saving grace with some of the things I’ve been through.” I say in a straight face. 

Lisa gives me a sad look. “I’m sorry.” She puts her hand on my shoulder. “If you ever need to talk about it, let me know.” 

“Thanks.” I say with a smile. I pick up the sandwich board and place it outside. 

Beth comes in flipping the sign on the window to Open, and I can already tell by the 5 people walking in that it’s going to be a busy day. 


	36. Monday School Blues

Walking to what used to be home feels odd after all those weeks of cycling. It’s a beautiful day, so I take a moment to enjoy the weather. The sun is rising, it feels good on the face, though I’m worried about the slight pinkness of my arms, and hurry up my pace. Last thing I need is to aggravate what should be healed by tomorrow. 

I get to Leilani’s place, coming around the back, as her parents are most likely in the kitchen. I knock, walk in, and say ‘good morning.’

Mama turns around. “Morning Rose.” You’ll have to wait a few minutes if you want to shower, my husband’s still in there.” 

“Thanks.” I smile. “I think I’ll go wake up Leilani first then. “Can we shower together?” 

She crosses her arms as she thinks about it. 

“Showering with a friend conserves water.” I say with a grin. 

She breaks a smile. “Go on.” She says at least. “Just behave you two.” 

“We will.” I smile, taking my shoes off and leaving my bags at the door. 

I head upstairs, and gently open the door to Leilani’s room. She looks so adorable. She’s facing towards the door this morning, making my reaching hear an easier task. I carefully walk up to her and give her a gentle kiss on the lips. She whimpers, but doesn’t wake. So I give her another kiss, and I feel her breathing change, followed by the return of my affections. 

She takes a deep breath and smiles up at me. “Good morning my love.” I smile back. “I had the strangest of dreams last night, I dreamt that Travis tucked me into bed and kissed me goodnight. He was so sweet.” 

“Travis brought you home last night my love.” I smile. 

She reaches out and puts her arms around my neck. “Oh, well, I guess what happened afterward of us making love was a dream…” 

“That was most likely a dream, I don’t think your parents would have allowed that.” I smile and lean down and give her a longer kiss. 

Leilani gladly returns my affections and we lay there with me half off the bed, and kiss passionately. When we break our kiss, she looks up at me, playing with my hair. 

“You smell like coffee.” She giggles. “I don’t suppose we can make love this morning?” 

"I don’t think your parents would approve of that, but soon as your dad is out of the shower, we can take ours together." I reply.

Her other hand starts caressing along my back. “Well, at least we can still have that.” She smiles and pulls me down to kiss me again. 

We hear the shower stop, and give her dad some time to come out of the bathroom. I feel like we’re back to dating again. Leilani and I make out for almost 10 minutes to make sure he’s clear. I go into the spare bedroom, noting that someone had put the clothing away. So it takes me a few minutes to find my bath robe, and the clothes I want to wear to school today. 

I place the pile of clothing on Leilani’s bed, so we can at least get dressed together, and then carry my robe into the bathroom. Leilani is already leaning over the bathtub, getting the water ready. I hang my robe on the door while I close it. I can’t help myself and crouch, giving her backside a long soft kiss. She moans and just leans back and lets me kiss there for a bit before turning. 

“I thought we were supposed to behave this morning?” She says in a sultry voice. 

“I’m sorry, that just looked way too tempting.” I say in apology. 

“Hmhm..” She gives me a coy smile. 

She starts unbuttoning my shirt while I pull her nightie off. She’s quick to de-pant my bottoms and notes that our making out has me already getting hard. She grabs me be my growing erection and leads me into the shower. 

Leilani gets mischievous, once I’m in the shower she squats and starts to suck me to hardness, fingering herself in the process. As much as I know that we shouldn’t be doing this, I can’t stop what she’s doing, it feels too good. Once I’m good and hard, she stands up, puting her finger over her lips in a ‘shhh’ motion, leans back and offers herself to me. If she’s as horny as I am at this point it won’t take long to get off. I know we shouldn’t be doing this, but my body is on automatic, and I have a tantalizing backside asking for some loving. 

Sure enough the quickie is both brief and **very** satisfying, I made sure she got off at least once after my orgasm before we stopped, she kept her hand over her mouth to keep from vocalizing her pleasure. We hope her parents don’t clue in that we went further than we should have this morning.   
After that quick bit of relief, we wash each other down.

“Thank you.” She says, as she washes my front. “I know we shouldn’t have, but I needed something after yesterday.” She say softly as I wash her hair. 

We trade places, and I wash her front, making sure to clean down below as she washes my hair. We take turns washing each other’s back, and then get out and dry off. 

“You still going to the Gym tonight after school?” She asks as I dry her hair. 

“Yes, Tina said she might join us.” I say as we trade spots. 

“You two got serious really fast, why?” she says more curious than upset. 

“Tina knew what she wanted and took her chance - much like that first movie night together with Travis.” I reply calmly. 

“Ummm. That was a fun night.” She smiles fondly. 

“Are you going to sleep with her again?” She says curiously. 

“I have no idea when we’d have the time, you and Travis come first.” I reply to her growing worry. 

“Thank you.” She smiles. 

We head into her room and get dressed. “We have enough time to work on any unfinished homework, I’m earlier than I usually am.” I tell her. 

“Hmm.. I could use some help with Math, seeing as we were out both Saturday and Sunday, I didn’t get any done.” She says thoughtfully. 

“As you wish m’lady.” I say gallantly and she giggles at my antics. 

We get downstairs all dress and ready for the day, makeup and all. 

“I think this is the first time I’ve seen Leilani’s face so done up for a school day.” Her mother comments, I was wondering what was keeping you two.” 

Leilani blushes a bit. “Rose says she’s never tried to do up a girl’s face like mine, so she wanted to try and see how it worked.”

Her mother nods. “Yes, unlike your fair skin Rose, doing a dark girl’s makeup is a bit more challenging, I say you did pretty well for your first try.” 

“It came to me the last art class, when we were asked to make a black face in pastels, but then make it pop with highlights. Most of my classmates went for bright or neon colours. I went for something realistic.” I smile.

“As Leilani’s face is not as dark as the model I drew, I thought I could make it look even better on her.” 

“Next time I go for a night out, remind me to hit you up on makeup tips.” She smiles and gets our breakfast plates. 

Waffles this morning, but I notice there’s syrup on Leilani’s, but not on mine. Mine has homemade strawberry jam and yogurt. 

“No sugar for you honey, we need you focused on your studies.” Mama teases me.

Leilani looks at my plate. “Mama, can I have what Rose is having, that looks delicious.” 

Mama smiles. “So you’re going get my daughter eating healthy now too Rose?” She teases me as she takes Leilani’s plate and puts it at her chair, then goes to set up Leilani’s like mine.

I wait till Leilani is served before digging in. “Travis’ parents have praised my influence on him for getting more fit and eating better.” I smile. I’m trying to pace myself with my girlfriend instead of inhaling food as I tend to do. 

“Nothing wrong with eating healthy.” Her mother says. “So, how’s your new room?”

“It’s the size of a one bedroom apartment Mama!” Leilani says excitedly. “Can I live with Rose?” 

Her mom smiles. “Now dear, don’t you think it’s a little early in your relationship to be living with your girlfriend?” Lielani looks thoughtful as she chews her food. “No my child, not yet.” 

“Awe!” She pouts. 

“She asked me three times yesterday, it was adorable.” I smile. “It is a beautiful room, and - as Leilani points out - a suite. There’s a sitting area, a kitchenette, a large bathroom, walk-in closet and the most comfortable king size bed I’ve ever slept in.” 

“I didn’t try the bed yesterday.” Leilani says thoughtfully. 

“With how tired you were after supper, it’s probably for the best, as it is you were falling asleep on us!” I tease her. 

“We were surprised when it was Travis that carried her in last night. He was quite the gentleman. We pointed out her room, he laid her down, tucked her in, and kissed her sweetly and left. I think that boy has fallen for you dear.” 

“I’ve noticed that as well.” I comment between bites. 

“Does that bother you Rose?” Her mother asks me. 

“Not at all, after all, we have a mutual agreement.” I smile. 

Her mom shakes her head and smiles. “I’ll never understand how you two share him without each other getting jealous…” 

“Well, it started off as I was their girlfriend, but I think the love between one another is mutual at this point.” I give Leilani a look and she smiles bashfully. 

“Okay, yes, I’ve grown to care a lot for Travis.” Like Rose has said, he’s so sweet, and kind, I don’t know why I never noticed it before.” 

“Tina says I tend to make people a bit more bold and go for things they normally would be too shy to do on their own.” I say thoughtfully. “Like how, for the first time, she’s dating a girl - rather than a boy - like her parents would expect her to.”

“That girl that kissed you on Wednesday?” Mama inquires and I nod. Her mom looks like she’s about to say something, but merely shakes her head and goes back to eating. I don’t think she approves that I have yet another girlfriend. 

We finish breakfast, so that we can work on our homework. Leilani’s mother watches us work together as she washes up. 

We manage to get our lessons finished in time to head out for school. We say goodbye to her mom, as her father has already left for work. 

“So, what movie are you going to see tomorrow night?” Leilani pokes me, expecting to be left out of another movie night.

“There’s a remake of the Last Unicorn that came out Friday night.” I comment. 

“That’s not the type of movie that Cassandra likes…” Leilani comments. 

“No, it isn’t, which is why I was hoping to ask you to be my date tomorrow night.” I smile. 

Leilani’s face lights up. “Really?! You want to take me to the movies!?” 

“It’s about time we went out on a date together, rather than just staying at home.” I reply. 

“Oh, thank you!” Leilani says excitedly. 

She hops in front of me and jumps into my arms, wrapping her legs around my waist, nearly pulling my dress up in the process. We hold each other like that for a few minutes as she works through her excitement. She finally breaks her tight hug and gives me a long loving kiss. 

“I was hoping to surprise you, but seeing as you brought it up, I wasn’t going to tease you.” I smile happily. 

She rubs my nose with hers affectionately. “Thank you so much.” 

She finally lets go and we continue walking. “How are we getting there?” Leilani asks. 

“Well, Travis is in the habit of driving us. But if you rather it be a solo date, I will tell him no.” I say still smiling. 

“You would do that? For me?” Leilani says surprised. I think she’s gotten used to having to share me all to often lately. 

“For you my love, I would.” I say softly. “I could arrange for one of Beth’s family to come get us after the movie and drop you off before going home, or I might just bring my bike.” 

“Do you think that the Simmons will let you cycle home at almost 10 at night?” Leilani sounds concerned. 

“Wouldn’t be the first time I did that.” I shrug. 

“You were a boy then, it’s different now.” Leilani reminds me. 

“I’m going to have to get used to being seeing as the ‘weaker sex’.” I say with a frown. 

“It’s not so bad.” Leilani says, snuggling to me. 

We talk about options of getting to downtown between tram and walking. As we approach the Goth household don’t see Cassandra out, so I head up the steps. I can drop off my gym bag instead of dragging it all the way to school. 

Sure enough, soon as I reach the door, it opens, and Cassandra steps out and gives me a good morning kiss. 

“Payment for keeping your bag.” She says teasingly as she unhooks my gym bag from my shoulder. “Can Alexander join us? Papa’s deep into writing a new chapter, and Mama doesn’t want to bother him.”

“Sure.” I smile. “Come my padawan, or you’ll be late for school.” I call out and I hear a ‘yipee’ and he comes running to the door and gives me a big hug. 

We head down the stairs with Alexander hopping down two steps at a time behind us. As we reach the bottom, he yells. “Watch this!” And goes to leap the last 5 steps. 

Alexander unfortunately doesn’t jump far enough, and his heel catches the 2nd to bottom stair, propelling him forward. I let go of Cassandra’s hand, dip and catch him in the midrift with my left hand, I spin him up at an angle. He does a full spin before I catch him in the air with both hands, feet down, facing me. 

“Wow! Do that again!” he exclaims. 

“I don’t encourage trying to go for another face plant.” I say with a firm tone, and his excitement drops. 

“Sorry.” He says at last. 

I tuck him under my right arm and check his ankle. “Does it hurt if I do this?” I rotate his ankle in different positions. 

“No.” He says from behind me.

“Okay, doesn’t look like you twisted or sprained anything.” I say, putt him back down. 

“Show-off.” Cassandra teases me. “You could have just caught him.” 

“Where’s the fun in that?” I say with a cheeky grin. 

Alexander decides to be playful, and puts his feet on mine. “There, you can’t move!” He says defiantly.

“I can’t, can I?” I say quirking an eyebrow. 

“Nope!” He says confidently. 

I put my hand on his head, and start taking moon steps. He holds on to my hand and giggles as I start walking down the sidewalk with him on my feet. After a few feet, I stop, and he looks up at me, as I grab him by his waist, turn him around, grab his waist again, and then lift him up on to my shoulders. 

“Yess! Wee!” Alexander giggles, as I hold him by the ankles and start walking off to school.

My girlfriends laugh and catch up with us, holding on to my arms as we continue walk. 

“Can you bring me to school every morning!?” Alexander asks, leaning forward to see me. 

“We’re having fun are we?” I ask and smile. 

He merely laughs and giggles. 

“I think he’s having too much fun.” Cassandra smiles to my right. 

“I’d say he misses you.” Leilani giggles, as Alexander happily bounces on my shoulders. 

We talk about what subject we expect will coming up in Geography next week. And Leilani says that she’s almost done hers with Chloe. Like most of my friends, they’re planning to get together on Monday to finish it - as it’s a long weekend. 

Alexander says he has Geo for one of his classes, and that they are studying nations and capitals, and he starts reciting the ones he knows by heart. I quiz him on the ones he may have forgotten, and he ends up remembering them all by the time we reach school. I put him down, and we watch as he runs off to school, waiting till he’s safely on his school grounds.

Trent catches up to us, as we are about to turn towards school. As promised he has the project folio under his arm. He comes and gives me a hug, he gives me an expectant look, and I smile, giving a quick good morning kiss. 

Cassandra and Leilani give me an odd look as they take my hands, leaving Trent to walk beside us. 

“We were supposed to talk that over today, before getting another kiss Trent.” I comment.

“Sorry.” He blushes. “Your kisses just feel so good.” He sighs. 

“What am I going to do about you?” I say shaking my head. 

“Well, my parents have a suggestion.” He grins. 

“Yes, they would like to see us date dear, but you already have a girlfriend.” I remind him. 

“Oh, I won’t stop dating Zoe.” He replies. 

“I’m going to sound like my brother on this, but most teens don’t have more than one girlfriend.” I say in a serious tone. “I guess I’m not the best example in that regard.” 

“Good thing your are so irresistible, so we don’t mind your promiscuous nature.” Leilani smiles sweetly. 

“Are you seriously contemplating another love triangle with them Rose?” Cassandra says thoughtfully. 

“Well, that originally wasn’t the plan, but it could be that these two have other ideas.” I look over at Trent and he smiles bashfully. “Did you talk to Zoe about this yesterday dear?” 

“We discussed it.” Trent answers. 

“You’re not thinking what I think you’re thinking, are you?” I say in a weary tone. 

“Well, it works for you, Travis and Leilani….” He says hesitantly. 

“You seriously considering of sharing me as your girlfriend?” I say almost surprised. 

“Well….” He starts shuffling his feet. “Zoe admitted she’s sort of had a crush on you since the slumber party…” his eyes open in surprised. “Ooops, I should have let her tell you that.” 

“That was an amazing kiss at the slumber party.” Leilani says dreamily.

I sigh. “I thought I picked up some excitement from Zoe after that kiss…”

“Oh, you knew?” Trent says in surprise. 

“Can I be honest with your Trent?” I say as we get closer to the doors.

“Hmm.. Sure?” he says hesitantly.

“I encouraged you to date Zoe so the two of you would stop flirting with me.” I say looking over to him. 

He gives me this surprised look.. “Oh, so does that mean no?” he says in a worried tone. 

“Give me time to think about this. We need to talk about this as a group now, as it could affect other relationships if it goes further.” Cassandra gives me a nod. 

“So, maybe?” he says in a hopeful voice.

“You are too cute.” I smile. 

He grins and I take a deep breath. Do I have the time for another love triangle? I don’t think so, but I don’t want to break his heart by flat out refusing him. 


	37. Mondays can be Complicated

We meet up with Zoe and Travis once we get inside. I give my boyfriend a good morning kiss. Zoe is, like Trent, hoping for one too.. These two are going to be trouble. Zoe, gets her good morning kiss and I ask my loves to meet by the lockers before we go into the cafeteria at lunch. If Trent and Zoe are to be included in the love circle, this is a discussion we all must have together. I have promised my lovers that much. 

We head into Math together, all sitting together, and it’s a typical Monday. Our teacher warns us there will be one final test on Friday before our mid-terms and most of the class groans. 

Grade 10 Geo I have to remind Trent not to be so flirty in class, otherwise people are going to get confused who his real girlfriend is. He gives me an odd look, I tell him to wait till lunch before exploring more romantic options. He’s really getting clingy. 

History we do our 5 minute presentation in class before posting our project on the cork-board outside the classroom. We come into class as Tim and Claudia are presenting theirs, and they did an amazing colonial presentation. After that, I sort of zone out on the rest of the projects, I’m trying to figure out what I’m going to do about Zoe and Trent. I sit there and doodle, half-listening to the various presentations. 

Lunch comes around and we meet in the alcove between lockers. We wait till we’re alone before we talk. 

“I wanted to meet you here, cause some of the people we sit with at lunch aren’t involved in our relationship, and don’t need to be part of this discussion.” 

“Does that mean we’re in your relationship now?” Zoe asks. 

“I’m getting to that dear.” I smile. “I did something I probably shouldn’t have on Saturday, and we need to find out where you two really want to go with this.” 

“You regret what you did on Saturday?” Trent asks now concerned.

“The only regret I have this year is dating Monique, no, I don’t regret what I did.” I answer him. 

“Do you mean you didn’t want to kiss us then?” Zoe asks worried. 

“Oh my dear Zoe, I have wanted to kiss you since the slumber party, but I thought it best you have a boyfriend of your own instead of being tied up in my complicated relationship circle.” 

Zoe blushes. “You knew about my crush on you? Trent you didn’t tell her did you?”

“Trent did tell me, but it was something I already knew.” I say before he can. “Now I do love both of you. I was just hoping you would be happy with each other.” 

“We are happy with each other.” Trent says. “And we don’t intend to stop dating.. It’s… Just…” Trent stumbles on his words. 

“We want to be more than just your friends.” Zoe finishes for him. “I want to be able to give you a hug when I meet you. I want to be able to kiss you when I’m happy. I don’t want to have hold back on my feelings for you because people think I should.”

“And if we don’t really get a chance to date one another, are you okay that we might not have much time together outside of school?” I ask them. 

“We just want to be able to express our affection, and no longer hide what we feel for you.” Trent says. Zoe leans against him and nods. 

And this point Leilani, Travis, Cassandra and Tina had been quiet. I look towards them. 

“This involves you all as much as it involves me. Is everyone okay with this?” I ask. “Be honest, don’t feel like you have to agree. I want your real answer.” 

Travis looks thoughtful for a moment. “So, you just want to be affectionate, you’re not really looking for a second girlfriend? If it just means being cuddly, and not much further?” he asks Trent.

“Travis, I’m not ready for what you and Rose share, I’m not even ready for that with Zoe. I just want to be able to hold her hand when I feel like it and lean on her when I need to. I guess it wouldn’t really be dating to begin with, no.” 

“I’m fine with that.” Travis says. 

“So… You’re looking for a courting relationship with Rose, like I had before we started dating?” Cassandra asks. 

“That sounds like a good way to define how we feel for Rose.” Zoe smiles. “We just want to be affectionate, and maybe get one of her beautiful kisses from time to time.” Zoe blushes.

“She is an amazing kisser.” Leilani smiles. “I have no problem with that.” 

“Seeing as Rose and I haven’t even figured out where our relationship is going yet, I don’t think I have anything to argue about.” Tina says at last. “Just no hogging the girlfriend.” She teases. 

Everyone laughs and we all hug. 

“Okay, I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry!” I say. 

My loves all agree with me, and we head off to join our friends in the cafeteria. 

“I guess they’ve been your puppies all along.” Cassandra whispers to me as she holds my waist. 

“I guess so.” I smile. “You sure you’re okay with this?” I ask Cassandra, as we’re not sexually involved, I’m worried she’d feel threatened about being left out. 

“Rose, I love you more than I can ever describe. I understand that building infatuation for your attention, I’ve felt it myself from the moment we met. Who am I to deny them some of your love?” She reaches up, pulling my face to hers for a kiss. I gladly comply. 

We meet up with the rest of our friends and we catch up on what they missed this weekend. Tim’s sad he missed joining us at the beach, it sounds like we had a lot of fun. We talk about my move, and Leilani goes in great detail the beauty of my new bedroom suite at that manor house. We then start talking about the upcoming dance at the end of the week. 

Some of us already have set couples: Zoe will be taking Trent, Chloe will accompany Chuck - who is so excited to show his girlfriend off that night. Tina looks thoughtful as I’ll be taking Cassandra, and Travis is taking Leilani, leaving her without a date. I whisper to Cassandra if she’d mind the three of us going together, knowing she’d be honest if she objected. She smiles and whispers back that it could be fun. So I ask Tina to sit beside us and we talk about if she’d join us. The smile on her face is all I need for an answer as she happily agrees. 

“Tim?” I say out loud now that I have two girlfriends to bring to the dance. He looks over at me from his conversation with Chris. “You think of asking Claudia to the dance, I think you two would make a cute couple.” 

Tim starts to blush. “Well… I… I’m not sure..” He starts to blabber. 

“You playing match maker again?” Tina teases me. 

“Well, I’ve watched the two of them work on their history project together the past few weeks, I’ve seen Claudia flirt with Tim…” I smile. 

“Yeah, she’s really affectionate.” Tim says blushing. 

“Come on, ask her out before someone like does Louis does.” I urge him. 

“You think Louis would ask Claudia out?” Tim says in surprise.

“I see the way he looks at her during art class.” I tell him. “Use some of that gamer flair you have and woe her to the dance.” 

Tim is blushing. “I’m not sure I have your self-confidence for that…” 

“Think of it as a role-playing scenario.” Brent smiles. “That’s what led me to finally bravely ask this absolutely lovely amazon out.” He and Amber trade off a long loving kiss and he snuggles back into his girlfriend. She goes back to sharing her grapes with him. 

“You are such a hopeless romantic.” She says lovingly. 

“I need to find a lovely amazon girlfriend.” Chris says, watching the two of them. 

“Pam and Penny were pining that they have no one for the dance Chris, why don’t you ask one of them?” I offer.

“You think they would go for a geek like me?” he says suddenly hopeful. 

“Doesn’t hurt to ask, want me to call them over?” I venture.

“You mean ask them today, as in right now?” Chris says suddenly nervous. 

“Sure!” Tina says. She whistles out her soccer call, and the girls all turn immediately to her - as well as some other curious on lookers.

“No, no…” he starts blushing. 

“Too late!” Tina giggles and hand motions for Pam & Penny to come over. 

Trent watches her motions. “Okay, the guys really need to get into what you girls do on the team, you don’t even need to talk to one another!” as Pam & Penny smile and come over. 

“You know, this is really not a good time…” Chris is turning a deeper red.

“Oh, come now. If not now, someone’s bound to ask Penny by tomorrow morning, and you don’t want to miss out on a chance to ask that pretty blond out do you?” Tina teases. 

I giggle at my girlfriend’s antics. 

“What’s up?” the sisters ask together as they get close to the table. Chris is now hiding his face. 

Tim pokes Chris in his tickle spot and the boy jumps leaving us all laughing. 

“Chris, you going to ask?” Tim probes.

Chris shakes his head as he goes beet red again, He goes to hide his head in his arms again, but Tim pulls him back up by the shoulders. 

“Well, it appears our good friend here has bashfully lost his tongue.” Tina starts. “So, I guess it’s up to his friends to come to his aid.” She says playfully. “Which one of you lovely ladies would have the honour of taking our charming Chris here to the dance?” 

“You guys are trying to kill me, I swear.” I don’t think Chris can get any more red.

The girls look at Chris and giggle. 

“Oh come now Christopherus, be your charming Rogue self.” Brent teases.

“This isn’t Refuge Online.” Chris quips. 

“You play Refuge!?” Penny pipes up all excited. 

“Oh don’t get her started on that game, you’ll never hear the end of it.” Pam rolls her eyes. 

“You play?” My loves and I all say together. 

Pam looks at us. “Oh, no… please, don’t tell me you play that game too…” 

“Welcome to geek central!” Brent says proudly. “Come, join our merry band, as we regale over lunch.” He smiles. “Psst. Tim, move so she can sit beside Chris” he whispers. Tim gets the message and moves beside Travis who’s sitting beside Leilani and I. Brent pats the newly vacated seat. “Come Penny, what class do you play?” 

“I’ve lost you for the rest of lunch, haven’t I dear?” Amber says with a sigh. 

“I’m sorry my love.” Brent gives her a kiss in apology.

Penny giggles and sits beside Chris. “I play a hunter.” She smiles. 

“That’s interesting, so does Rose.” Travis says. “What’s your favorite pet?”

“I love cats.” Penny says, I even have a large sabertooth for my mount. How about you Rose?” 

“Wolves.” I smile. “One of the guild members even managed to snag me an Armored Frostwolf to match my white timberwolf, so we’ll make an interesting pair if we can meet up in game sometime.”

“You have a guild!?” Penny says all excited. 

Tina pats the bench beside her for Pam to sit down and the two of them start talking soccer as the rest of us get lost in the discussion of the game. 

“You going to play tonight?” Asks Tim. “We could get you into the guild after school. Half of the guild is sitting right here..” 

“I have some homework, so probably not till after supper.” She says. 

“That’s great, cause Rose, Cass and I won’t be in game till after supper either.” Replies Travis, “We go to the Gym after school on Mondays.” 

“That sounds like a good idea Pam” pipes in. 

“It’ll be my first time going with Rose and her crew, want to join us?” Tina asks. 

“How much does it cost?” Pam queries. 

“So what class to you play Chris?” Penny gives him a nudge.

“First session is Free.” Cassandra says. “After that, you’ll have to ask my mom, our parents pay for our memberships, and Mama’s never mentioned how much it costs.” 

“I play a Rogue with the guild.” He says blushing.

Watching Penny and Chris interact reminds me of Travis and I. She’s opening up the dialog, flirting fairly heavily, and getting him to be more comfortable as they talk.

Cassandra leans over. “I think we have a new couple in our group.” She whispers in my ear as Tina, Travis and Pam talk about what they can do at the Gym. “They’re really hitting it off.”

“I think you’re right my love.” I whisper back. “They do rather make a cute couple.” I say with a smile, turn and give her a soft kiss. 

Cass ‘mfffs’ her agreement as her lips fall on mine.

The lunch bell rings and we all get up and start going our separate ways. Chris and Penny follow along with us after we get our language arts books, as we’re all in the same grade. Pam heads off with Tim and Trent to their sophomore classes, and we promise to meet up after school. 

“What’s the age difference between you two?” I get curious and ask Penny. 

“A year and a half.” She answers me as we get settled in the back corner of the class. “But seeing as my birthday is in April, and hers in October, she was able to start a year younger than I did - so we’re only a grade apart.” 

“So, when is her birthday this month?” Tina says suddenly interested. 

“Next week.” Penny smiles. 

“Before or after game?” I get interested now too. 

“After.” Penny replies. “Why?” 

Tina and I share a smile, making Penny even more curious. 

“What are you planning?” Penny suddenly gets suspicious. 

“Well, Amber’s birthday is at the end of the month, so we were going to turn our after-game get together into a birthday bash.” Tina starts. “Can we do the same with your sister?” 

“That would be fun!” Penny grins. “Yeah, but don’t tell her. I’m going to see if we can make this a surprise.” The glimmer in Penny’s eyes shows that she has something even more planned for her sibling.

We’re studying a new book in literature. As we’re quietly doing our reading period, my friends and I are quickly doing a group message while the teacher is out.

-= Travis =- So how is it we never knew you played Refuge?

-= Penny =- Well, I knew that you and Cass were geeks, but I didn’t know what style of games you played. Far as I knew Cass didn’t have a computer for it.

-= Cass =- I didn’t till Rose provided me with her laptop.

-= Penny =- How do you play then Rose?

-= Rose =- I have a gaming PC as well. The laptop was my brother’s, I used it for the summer when my computer was packed up.

-= Cass =- Oh, will he want that back then? :worry:

-= Rose =- No, he got a new one this term that’s even better. 

-= Cass =- :o) Gift from his in-laws no doubt.

-= Rose =-That’s likely, unless he got it with his grant money. His tuition was paid for this year by bursaries and scholarships. He’s top of his class in Robotics.

-= Leilani =- I never get over how smart you and your brother are. 

-= Chris =- And talented, the code you generate is amazingly optimized. Your screen power saving app has doubled my phone’s battery life!

-= Cass =- So is that why I rarely need to charge my phone or tablet anymore?

-= Rose =- Standard use, it should easily go two to three days on a charge, min one day on even the most battery intensive games - when they’re linked to the app or mod.

-= Penny =- Say, can you do that with my phone!?

Our teacher comes back to class, and so we tuck away our phones. I don’t have time to text Penny back, so I merely turn to her, smile and nod instead. 

Then rest of class is devoted to analyzing the chapters we read. As, I spent most of it typing than reading, I take notes as we discuss the topics. 

When we reach Geography at last period, Zoe and I finish up the last of what we can do in class. We’re working on the isles of Sulani, and I have a fairly detailed map of the islands in sections that I’ve been able to gather from my Maps program. As a volcanic island chain, Zeo dug up what parts are still prone to volcanic activity - outside of the active volcano that is. The Islands are slowly expanding, due to the constant flow of magma. Then the new land mass needs to cool before it can grow green. The islands have unique flora and fauna that is hard to find in other parts of the world.. We just need the bristol board to connect it all together. 

"I’ll write up the final on computer and print it out before you come over on Monday.” Zoe says as we work on our final draft of the report. 

Our goal is to have it all done so that Wednesday is a free period. Zoe is mildly flirting with me again, like she was before dating Trent. She is so absolutely adorable, and - with an hourglass figure like Leilani’s hard to resist. Part of my mind is wondering if she would be as hot in bed as my girlfriend. The other part is reminding me that I need to wait till she’s sexually active with Trent first. A small kernel of warning is flashing in my mind that this feels just like how Travis, Leilani and I started off, and whether I’m ready for a second love triangle. 


	38. Monday Gym Night

We join up as a group, heading out together from classes, we stay clustered together, talking animately about our day, I’m in the middle of the crowd of over a dozen friends at this point. Soon we start filtering away one from the other as the girls head off to cars or buses. 

Pam, Tina, Cass, Leilani and I stay with Travis as we head to his van. Seeing as we’re picking up her mom, Cass opts to just sit beside me, instead of having to move later. Leilani is a little disappointed from loosing her favorite seat beside me, but doesn’t complain as she joins Tina in the back. Tina brought her gym clothes with her today, Pam decided to grab her school soccer uniform from her gym locker instead of going home to get something else. My girlfriends are arranged so that Tina can reach out for my hand, Leilani can reach forward and touch me, leaving Pam in the corner behind Cassandra. If she noticed my girls had planned their seating, she doesn’t say anything. 

Pam is excitedly going on about what weight limits she’s aiming for, and I tell her I’ll help her out as needed. We pick up Mrs. Goth and she tosses our bags in the back with Travis’ and Tina’s. She smiles at us as she gets in the van. 

“Your workout group is growing.” Bella says with a smile. “Welcome girls, I look forward to seeing how you work out.”

We drop Leilani off home. I give my girlfriend a kiss and she runs around to the driver’s side to kiss Travis before we head on. 

I tell Bella about my move on Sunday and my new suite at the manor house, taking most of the trip downtown to detail out the room. 

“Can you still come over for supper tonight?” Bella says concerned. 

“Certainly.” I smile. “There’s something important I want to talk about.”

“You don’t have to tell my parents tonight if you don’t want to…” Cass whispers to me, knowing what I want to bring up tonight. 

“I want to my love, I don’t want your parents to find out after we’ve slept together that I could get you pregnant, I made that mistake twice already.” I whisper back. 

Bella looks back at us. “It must be very important with the look on my daughter’s face.”

“It is.” I say with a disarming smile. 

We get to the gym and quickly change into our gym clothing. With most of us being girls, we sort of take over the change room, leaving Travis to go into a changing room. This is the first time I’ve braved changing openly with others. It actually felt natural changing beside Tina. Cassandra occasionally glances my way, surprised at my comfort, and the slight lump in my form fitting panties. I give a knock on Travis’ change room when we’re ready go to downstairs. 

Don gives our group a surprised look as I set the girls up on the equipment. Judging Pam’s and Tina’s musculature, they can do a few kilos more than Travis. I increase his weight limits to almost theirs, 5 more than last week. For Cassandra, I leave her at her weight, as we want muscle definition with her, not bulk. 

“So you took up my offer to start a training club?” Don smiles at me as I join my friends. 

“It does seem that way, doesn’t it?” I smile as we start working on our routines. 

Travis looks beside him, noting Tina’s weight tolerance. “Is she really that much stronger than I am?” he asks in a tone mixes of surprise and disappointment. 

“I started working out 2 years ago Travis, don’t be disappointed.” Tina smiles “you’re almost at my weight already, and I really don’t go above this.”

“Believe me, it’s not easy!” Pam says, I can see her struggling a bit to keep up with Tina’s weight.

“Do you want me to bring that down a bit hun?” I ask Pam. “I don’t want you to pull a muscle before game.”

Pam takes a deep breath. “Yeah, might be a good idea.” She nods. 

I get up and bring her weight down to Travis’. I have her try a few reps and she nods to me. “Better, thanks.”

I am the last one done on the universals, and I join my friends on the mats as we do our stretching. I get this idea. “Say, who knows Tai Chi?” I ask.

“I know a bit of it.” Tina says while the rest of my friends shake their heads. 

“Want to learn?” I smile. 

I get agreement from everyone, so I have us all space out properly and I stand in front of them and tell them to repeat my motions. I first start off slow, so that they can get the motions. 

“My sensei called this meditation in motion.” I say, my voice echoing off the mirror wall in front of me - allowing me to see who’s following and who’s struggling. “This relaxes the mind, connects you to your body, and allows you to stretch and exercise at the same time.” I continue as I go through the motions. “This helps you keep flexible, and limber, while soothing the body and mind.”

“Say, we should do this before each game!” Pam says as she works to keep up with my motions. “This feels really good!”

“Do you think the rest of the girls would go for it?” I ask hesitantly. 

“You definitely have my vote.” Tina says, watching my breathing technique through the mirror. 

With the session done, we only have 20 minutes left to run before we need to head out. As we jog, Pam says that she’ll call her dad, so that Travis just needs to worry about her and Tina. 

“Can you call your father after supper, I would very much like to learn more about Rose’s growing group of friends.” Bella smiles. 

Pam catches on. “Oh, I’m not dating Rose.” She answers.

Bella smiles. “I see.” She looks to Tina. 

“Is it that obvious that I’m now dating Rose?” she says in surprise. 

“The love bite on your neck would suggest it.” Bella winks. 

Tina gives me a look. 

I blush. “I couldn’t resist myself, your neck just looked so tempting with you curled up in my arms…” I say in my defense. 

“They were pretty cuddly on the beach Saturday, it was so cute!” Pam smiles. “My sister’s wondering just how intimate your relationship is Tina…”

“We’re dating.” Tina answer, and I keep quiet. I can see Cassandra raise and eyebrow and I merely shake my head.

“I’m happy for you two, you are so in synch with one another, I can imagine it’s like kissing your twin.” Pam smiles.

“So, is that why Rose seems to know exactly what it takes to turn me on?” Tina says thoughtful. 

“Oh, no, Rose does that to everyone.” Travis smiles leaving me blushing.

Bella looks at Tina. “Would you like to stay over for supper dear?”

Tina smiles. “I would love to.”

We do our leg stretches after our run, and then hit the showers. 

“Do you want me to wash your back?” I tease Cassandra leaving her blushing. 

“I.. I’m not sure I’m ready for that.” She says bashfully. 

“Can I take you up on that?” Tina slides up and purrs in my ear. 

I can see my boyfriend about to object. “Sorry Travis, she asked first, I’ll see you in the change room when we’re done.” I whisper in his ear. 

“Okay.” He says hotly and goes in the shower on this own. 

I see Pam spot Tina and I in the corner of her eye. I turn and give her a ‘shh’ motion as Tina and I slide into the shower booth together.

Tina and I work out each other’s muscle tension in the shower as we kiss and feel each other. She’s so strong, yet so gentle, I think I just found competition for Leilani’s back massages. 

“Do we have time for some of this?” Tina whispers in my ear, washing my penis, and getting it hard. 

“Think you can keep quiet enough?” I tease her, knowing she’s been the most vocal of my lovers so far.

“I can try…” she says I can smell her excitement even over my Rose scented body soap. 

My hands come up her inner thigh from the back, cupping her bottom, she doesn’t hesitate as I lift her up. She wraps her legs around me and reaches down with one hand to guide me to her entrance. I push her against the shower wall, and she gasps as my hard-on finds it’s mark and starts to sink in her wet opening. Apparently, like my other girlfriend, massages are a turn on, she is already dripping wet. 

It takes a lot of effort to hold back, she’s so hot and wet, it’s an amazing sensation. We kiss passionately as we push our bodies against each other. Working up to the release we need, when I feel her vagina tighten, I can’t hold back any longer, I lock my lips on hers and we moan into each other’s mouths as my orgasm triggers hers even more. I continue to thrust until till she cums a second time before letting her go. 

We stand in the hot stream, breathing heavily. 

“I’ve never done something this risky before.” Tina gasps as she holds me close. “That was the most amazing quickie I can ever recall.” She sighs. 

“Glad you enjoyed it.” I say kissing her. “Now, lets get dried off quick, before we’re missed.”  
She nods and we get out of the shower, drying each other, then exiting separately. 

“I’ll meet you downstairs.” I give her a quick kiss. She nods and heads into a change room with her things.  
I give a knock on the change room I saw Travis use earlier, hoping he’s in the same. When I hear his voice answer, I try the door, sure enough it’s unlocked. 

“Hi handsome.” I say to him sweetly, locking the door behind me.

“Still got enough for me?” he asks with a coy smile

“I did for her what I’m hoping you’ll do for me…” I say with a seductive smile. 

“Hmm. Looking for a repeat of the music room?” He says teasingly. 

I drop my clothes and slip out of my towel. “Yes, now we don’t have much time, you going to fuck me or not?” I say in a sultry tone. 

Travis raises an eyebrow. “Wow, you are a horny redhead tonight.” He smiles and moves behind me…

I feel Travis’ pants hit the floor, he was mostly dressed. I feel his hand caress my back, then slide over my rump. I give a gasp and a moan as his thumb finds my butt hole and - the cheeky man has lube already. I reach back, and he’s already hard, making me wonder if he was masturbating while he waited for me. I guide Travis to my entrance, and stifle a moan as he starts to slide into me. I push back into him to speed up our love making, and it doesn’t take long till he’s holding my hips and really going at it. Our love making is quick, and satisfying, my body shivers and my toes curl as I feel Travis empty his load deep in my backside. 

I lean back against him as he’s still inside of me. “Thank you, I needed that.” I say letting out a content sigh. 

“I’ve been wanting you all day, this is definitely worth the wait.” He responds, kissing my neck and shoulders. “I’ll wait for you downstairs while you get dressed.” 

He pulls out and I whimper. I give Travis one last kiss as he finishes pulling is bottoms back up. Then he’s gone. 

I hurriedly get dressed and join my waiting friends downstairs. Pam is already gone, I guess her Dad’s already picked her up. Cassandra is looking a bit annoyed while Tina and Travis have got lucky smiles on their faces. 

“One day, they’ll be waiting on us my love.” I whisper in her ear and she blushes at my flirtations. 

I put my arm around her, and she doesn’t hesitate in leaning against me as we walk back to the van. 

“In preparation for having people over, I made a pasta sauce this afternoon while you were at school. I can imagine that Mortimer and Alexander are just drooling to have a portion by now…” she smiles. 

“Hmmm.. I love your homemade sauce.” I say as Cassandra snuggles into me. 

“I second that comment.” Travis grins. 

“Am I in for a treat?” Tina asks from the back seat. 

“You totally are my love.” I say to my girlfriend. 

We get to the Goth household and Cassandra starts leading us upstairs, when I feel a touch on my elbow. 

“Can you stay downstairs and help with supper Rose?” 

“Certainly.” I smile. 

My friends turn and nod and head up the stairs. I follow Bella into the kitchen as we start getting the meal ready. 

“So, I need to know dear Rose, what are your intentions with my daughter?” Bella says as she gets the noodles going. 

I’m grating cheese for the garlic bread as she instructed. “I love Cassandra deeply, I would do anything to make her happy.” I answer. I have a feeling where this conversation is going, but I want her to say it. 

“So, you are sexually intimate with Travis, Leilani, and this new girl Tina, do you not think that’s unfair to my daughter?”

She’s buttering the bread with a homemade garlic butter mixture. 

“I would love to be equally intimate with your daughter.” I reply honestly. “But Cassandra isn’t ready for that yet. I have told her that I will happily wait till she is. Her friendship is more important than one night of passion. When we take our relationship further, I want it to be special, without regret. Till she is ready for that, I don’t want to push her.”

Bella takes the grated cheese, sprinkles it on the bread before putting the bread in the oven. She looks at me. “What is so special about you going further with another girl?”

I blush. “Well, I was going to wait till supper for this. But I guess I should tell you now, so that you know why I am being so cautious.” I start. “Though you may want to sit down while we wait.”

Bella does so and I sit down beside her. “You’ve said before. I’m not like other girls.” I start and she nods. “It’s because I haven’t always been one.” I say looking into her eyes. “A year ago, I was a boy like Travis, While I now look and sound like a girl, what I have between my legs is still very much like his.” Bella’s eyes go wide but she doesn’t say anything. 

“I will not simply take Cassandra’s virginity on a whim. I want our first time to be special, to be safe, and to mean something to her - and hopefully with your blessing. I wanted to tell you this first, for I thought it best that you know that I can get your daughter pregnant.”

“I see.” Bella says looking thoughtfully. “Does Cassandra know this?” 

“Yes, I came out to her several weeks ago, when she noticed I was speaking with my transgender support group.” I reply. “You are all very special to me. I don’t want to ruin your trust, or hurt your feelings. I want to be honest with you about who I am, and how I truly feel.” I say with sincerity. 

Bella nods still pensive. “You have long term plans for my daughter, do you?”

“I do.” I tell Bella. “I love your daughter more than I could ever imagine. If there were such a thing as true love or a soul mate, Cassandra is mine, and I am hers.”

Bella’s eyes grow wide. “You’re serious? Are you not too young to make such a commitment?”

“I know that I love Cassandra so dearly, she is the other half of my soul. Tina and I are a young fling, and will probably not last past graduation - if we go that far. Travis is the first man I’ve loved and is the only one of my lovers who comes even close to what I feel for your daughter. But the one thing I can’t give him, I can give her.”

“I see.” Bella looks down. “What if it doesn’t work out?” 

“I told Cassandra that our friendship comes first. She is my best friend. Intimacy is not my end goal with her, it is but a perk for wanting to spend the rest of my life with her. My aunt once told me that, if you marry your best friend, the relationship is there to last. I am hoping she is correct.”

“You want to get married.” She queries me. 

“Eventually.” I say bashfully. “I want to wait till after graduation to propose. I think we’re both too young to get that kind of ring.”

“And if she asks you first?” Bella continues. “Goth women are known to stay virgins till we wed, so that there are no children out of wedlock.”

“I could never deny Cassandra my heart. I would gladly say yes to her. Cassandra fell in love with **me**. Our love is not sexual. What is between my legs is all that’s left that is male. My body has chemically changed to that of a woman: muscle development, fat deposits, my skin, my hair, even my scent… I am as much a girl as any other in my class in that regard.”

“Well, that explains why Travis is so attached to you. When you two started dating, I was sure that you were a girl, as he is very much a straight boy.” Bella says as she gets up and moves over to the stove. 

“And that is the relationship we share. He has no interest in what my girlfriends want. It is what differentiates our relationship with theirs.”

“I see. You are a much more complicated girl than I expected.” Bella says as she checks on the bread. She smiles, and takes it out, letting it cool on top of a rack. “Knowing that you keep Cassandra’s feelings in mind with how you are together does mean a lot to me.”

“Cassandra and I share a deep emotional bond. To her, I’ve always been a girl, and it is in me - as a person - that she has fallen in love with. I will do anything I can to see her happy.” I say sincerely. 

“And happy she is.” Bella smiles at me. “My gloomy quiet girl has grown much since you two started dating but a week ago. She smiles, dances, sings… And any mention of you has her beaming even brighter. I thank you for bringing light into her life.”

“As she has brought light into mine.” I smile. 

“Come, let us call the rest to supper.” Bella replies. 


	39. Monday Night

Bella has Cassandra and Travis sit on either side of me, while Tina sits across from me beside Alexander. Cassandra is enjoying the chance to sit beside me where our hands regularly touch and she can get a quick kiss when she wants. 

I feel sorry for Tina. The Goths grill her as if I was their daughter and she were the new girlfriend in my life - well she is, but I wasn’t expecting them to act like my parents. A few times during the supper she gives me looks of surprise, and I hold her hand through the more personal inquiries. It’s actually a learning experience for myself, as it’s helped me learn more about her as well. 

After supper, Alexander asks me to play the piano - of course. So I play ‘Stay’ for him, with Travis signing the other side of the duet. Both Cassandra and Tina have that loving look by the time I’m done playing. I continue on with signing ‘Beautiful’ as my next song. Tina closes her eyes and sings the chorus lines. She sings pretty well. 

Once I’m done playing my girlfriends come to each side of me. “You are beautiful.” Cassandra says in a soft dreamy voice. She slides onto the bench beside me and I put my arm around her as she snuggles in. “I can’t believe how your signing makes me feel like this.” She sighs happily. 

Tina is playing with my hair. “How do you do that?” 

“My brother calls me a modern-day bard. At first I thought it was because I was artistic and a jack-of-all-trades type of person that can do so many things. I’ve discovered recently that I have this gift with music that fascinates people. I haven’t figured out quite how it works, only that - when I focus on one person - I can make their heart melt with my song.”

“That’s amazing!” Tina says leaning against me. “How long does it last?” 

“It forever captures your heart and gets stronger each time she plays.” Cassandra takes a deep happy breath as she continues to snuggle into me.

“Why didn’t I feel like this on Sunday?” Tina asks confused. 

“I was playing for fun.” I smile. 

“She sang these two songs with meaning.” Travis says as he leans over the piano and looks at me affectionately. “We should get going if we want to meet our friends in game.” He says after a moment. 

“You mean Rose can’t just stay here?” Cassandra asks sadly. If my girlfriend had her way right now, I’d stay in her arms all night.

“Not tonight my love, I’ll see you soon in game okay?”

“Okay.” She says in mild disappointment. 

Mortimer comes upstairs. “I’ll drive Rose home, so that Travis doesn’t have to drive so far.”

I can see a conflicted emotion cross Travis’ face. He wanted to drive me home, but can’t argue with the logic of how far it is. He merely nods in the end. 

We head downstairs and get my bags out of Travis’ van. Cassandra recovers hers and her mother’s bags and puts them into the house while I’m getting my things into their Lincoln. I give Travis and Tina good night kisses. _Wow! My girlfriend really knows how to kiss!_ I can feel my groin respond to the passion of her embrace.

“You are amazing.” I sigh as we finally break our embrace.

“Just a reminder of what is to come.” She teases me. We look into each other’s eyes lovingly for a few moments till Cass gives me a poke to break me out of my reverie. 

“Goodnight.” I give her one last soft loving kiss. 

I head to Travis, who’s now in his van. “See you in game soon handsome. I look forward to seeing your avatar in that sexy armor you wear.”

“My armor is sexy is it?” he chuckles and gives me a kiss. 

“Totally hot.” I say seductively. I lean forward and whisper in his ear. “I wish there was a way in game I could slowly peel each piece off of you and kiss your body as I go.” 

Travis moans. “You are incorrigible.” The look of passion in his eyes evident. 

“Drive safe my love, see you in game soon.” I say with a cheeky smile and give him one last quick kiss. 

“See you soon.” He smiles dreamily. 

We wave as Travis drives off and then I get into the Goth’s car. Cassandra is still emotionally moved by my signing, and sits in the middle so that she can cuddle against me the whole ride home. I give her dad instructions on how to reach my place, and I can see his reaction in the rear view mirror as he pulls up to the mansion. The manor house is easily 3 times the size of their estate. 

“I would say that you moved up in the world compared to that little 2-bedroom house you were living in.” Mortimer smiles as he pulls up to the front door. 

“Tell me about it!” Cassandra smiles. “Her suite in the manor house is so beautiful! Both Leilani and I have voiced wanting to move in with her.” 

“Maybe closer to graduation.” Her father replies. Does he know something that I don’t?

Cassandra gets out of the car with me. One of the butlers comes out and politely takes my bags out of the trunk, advising me they’ll be in my room. This gives time for my girlfriend and I to share a long loving kiss before she leaves me for the night. My heart aches when we part ways, and I blow her another kiss as she gets into the passenger seat beside her father. I wave to them as they leave and wait till they’ve pulled out on the road before turning to go into the house. 

Barnes greets me at the door with a polite smile and I thank him. I head up to my room. Climbing these stairs is certainly going to keep me in shape… 

I get into my room and the first thing I notice is a large flat screen TV hanging on the wall above the hearth. _That wasn’t there yesterday_ … I say to myself as I look around what else may have changed. There is a game console on the mantel that wasn’t there yesterday either. Four game controllers sit on the coffee table. Large speakers flank the TV. My screen saver is running, with the weather report as I configured it. Definitely have web access for that to be pulling up new weather. I also seem to have acquired a second monitor. This is **amazing**! There is a note on a folded piece of paper in very elegant handwriting. 

“ _Hope you enjoy the upgrade, we look forward to when your friends next visit._ ”

“Thanks Mom.” I say to myself as I smile at the card. I need to give them both big hugs in the morning…   
I log on to my computer, and start up the game. As I’m waiting for it to load, I get an idea. On my second screen, I bring up Plopsy and look for dresses. Beside the note is a credit card, and I want a new dress for the Harvest Dance.

“There she is.” I hear Travis’ voice as I log in and automatically connect to guild chat.

“Glad you could finally join us.” Nemarcus says teasingly. 

“I don’t live close by anymore.” I say in a slight annoyed tone, “It takes a good 30 minutes to drive here!”

“Which would explain why Varielle is not on yet.” Sylvianna says, coming up and giving me a hug and a loving kiss. 

“Yes, she joined her father and me on the drive home.” I reply. 

“If she had her way, Cannina wouldn’t have gone home tonight she was very cuddly after that song.” Thornton says. 

“Did we get our new guild member in?” I ask. 

“We did.” I hear Penny’s voice as she enters in the room. She has this sleek black panther pet, and comes up to greet me with a hug. “Greetings Cannina, I am Yàvië-Isil.”

“Harvest Moon in elvish.” I smile “Such a suitable name for a blond-haired blue-eyed wood elf.” Even her outfit is autumn themed, with reds, oranges, and gold trim. 

“You know Elvish?!” She says suddenly surprised that I picked up on the name right away. “How did you get your character so tall?”

“I wouldn’t put it past Cannina to know a gaming language.” Travis chuckles. “She probably has dictionary right there on her desktop.” 

“Choosing the Night Elf base, rather than the High Elf base, gives you taller character options.” I tell Yàvië. 

“Oh well, I’ll remember that next time, this toon is about the same height as me in real-life, so it makes it easier to manage.” She smiles in return.

“Speaking of desktops, I have two monitors now! My in-laws are going to spoil me rotten.” I say in surprise.

I’m looking through dresses while we wait for Cass to come in game, we’re discussing game options. We’re a 5-man group without Nemarcus. Adding him, Chris and Tarvel, we’ll need 2 more to get into a raid. Chris has been helping Yàvië level, so she’s low, but qualifies for the entry-level raids. It’s too late at night for my uncle and aunt, so we find Connor and Sampson, two warriors in our guild, to join us. This is going to allow Yàvië and I to focus on crowd control with our pets, rather than having to help Thornton tank. It does force Tarvel over to healing rather than buffs, as Sylvianna’s not going to be able to keep 3 tanks alive on her own. 

“Sylvianna, do you have a nice dress for the dance on Friday?” I ask my girlfriend.

“Define nice…” she replies. 

“Want something amazingly gorgeous?” I say and send her the link for a dress I’m looking at. It’s a red velour dress with black lace arms. A black underbust corset cinches it at the waist. 

“Ooh, that’s pretty!” she replies. 

“Want it?” I ask. 

“For real?” she says surprised. 

“I’m about to hit the order button, with express shipping it’ll get here Thursday, yay or nay?” I tease her. 

“Yes! Oh Wow! Totally yes!” she replies. 

“Done!” I smile. 

“Do I get to see what she’s going to be wearing?” Travis asks.

“Not till Friday.” I tease him. “Say lover, do you have a nice suit?” I ask my boyfriend. 

“I might be able to scrounge something up…” he replies. 

“Ummm.. That’s not going to match what she’s wearing, now if I remember your size right.. I need black pants, suede jacket, red silk shirt, and a black silk tie.. Oh, and a cameo to match hers. Do you want it as a tie clip or a boutonniere?”

“Cannina honey, you don’t need to buy me something.” He replies hesitantly. 

“Of course I do, if you want to match what we’re wearing, I need to keep it thematic. We’re going to go as gothic couples, you are going to love this suit.” My character smiles. “I think it will look better on you as a boutonniere, specially if I add in a red silk pocket scarf.”

“Not to complain about these gifts, but how are you going to pay for this Cannina?” Thornton says with concern. 

“Mom & Dad gave me a purchasing account, I think they knew.” I reply.

“You’re right, your in-laws are spoiling you rotten.” Sylvianna giggles. “Leave it to an artist to make a thematic group entrance.”

“There, see, she’s got the idea.” My character grins on the screen. “Wait till you see what Varielle and I are going to wear, I managed to find two matching corset dresses with pleated layered skirts. The black shrugs match Sylvianna’s sleeves, and so does the cameo. Only mine is red with black accents, and hers is the opposite.” I send Sylvianna the link and she oooohs over it. 

“What about Tina?” Sylvianna asks… 

“Oh, right be right back!” I reply. 

-= Rose =- Dress or pantsuit for the Harvest Dance my love?

-= Tina =- If I have a choice, I don’t want to wear a dress. 

-= Rose =- Perfect, I’ll have your pantsuit ordered then. :)

-= Tina =- Wait, you’re getting me an outfit for the dance?!?!

-= Rose =- Of course I am! I need you to look as dashing as I am lovely, we need to coordinate!

-= Tina =- Should I be worried about what you are getting me? ;)

-= Rose =- You are going to love it!

-= Tina =- I already love you, so anything you chose should be lovely. :-*

-= Rose =- You are adorable. 

I order a pantsuit similar to Travis’, but from the ladies selection. It’s a black silk pant, with red silk shirt. I get her the same black belt with cameo buckle as Travis. And a black suede jacket. The only difference is that I get her a silk cravat with the cameo at the neck. We are going to be the hottest couples in the dance! 

“So I don’t get to see what any of you girls are going to be wearing till the dance?” Thornton grumbles. 

“That would ruin the surprise my love.” I say teasingly, leaving my girlfriend giggling.

“What is she giggling about now?” Varielle says as she pops in channel. 

“Cannina is getting us matching outfits so we can wow everyone at the dance.” Our girlfriend says. “And she won’t show Thornton what she’s getting us.”

“Cannina’s getting us outfits?” my girlfriend says puzzled. I send her a link for the dress I’m getting her. “Oh.. Wow… you serious? I’m going to have that to wear, at the dance?!”

“Absolutely my love, I want us to be the hottest set of couples on the floor!” I reply.

“Can I come over to your place, I’m going to need help tying it up.” Sylvianna says.

“Do we want to dress at my place or Varielle’s? She’d be closer to school.” I offer. 

“Your place.” My girlfriends say together and I giggle.

“Okay. We’ll get all dolled up at my place, and I’ll see about getting a drive to the dance after supper.” I say. 

“Well, if I drive you home Cannina, then I can drive us all to the dance.” Thornton offers.

“You just want to see us all dressed up before the dance.” I say to him. 

“Damn right I do!” he chuckles. 

“Okay, but you’ll have to wait till we’re fitted before you can see us - I’ll see where they can have you change.” I reply.

“What, I can’t help?” Thornton pouts.

“It’s one thing for the girls to change together, but I don’t think Varielle wants to have you see her nearly naked.” I reply. 

“Damn right I don’t!” She replies. 

“Varielle hasn’t seen you nearly naked either.” Thornton says as a come back. 

“What, hers and my boobs are the same size, it’s not like I have anything she hasn’t seen before.” I retort, leaving Varielle blushing.

“Actually, if you take off your undies, you do. Besides, I think yours are bigger my love.” Our healer teases. “And so pink.. And sensitive…” 

“Okay, we’ll wait till Varielle has recovered to figure out what raid we want to do.” Tarvel says chuckling.

I look over the group, and Yàvië and Chris are holding each other and flirting. Wow, they’re not wasting any time getting cuddly!

“You are going to make me die of embarrassment some day!” Varielle comes back and we all laugh. 

“You lot are got to be all in one place the way you all talk.” Connor speaks up. 

“Yes, we all go to the same school.” Nemarcus replies. “And most of us are dating one another.” 

“Or several one anothers as in our hunter’s case.” Tarvel adds. 

Connor’s toon puts up a finger as if he wants to ask a question. 

“Yeah, I don’t think I want to know either.” Sampson says for him and we all laugh.

We queue the raid and Nemarcus opens the portal to the gate we need. 


	40. Game Night

Connor and Sampson are good, really good, they’re also really good at drawing more than they can handle, and our healers are put to the test to keep them alive. Thornton has started healing himself with the minor heals he has a Paladin, and even picked up a group heal he can throw now and then. 

Yàvië and I stay side by side. Shooting stray mobs, Yàvië throws traps to slow down opponents while I pick them off with volleys of arrows. 

“I’m thinking of going survival.” She says as we’re picking off mobs around our healers. Thornton spots them, throws his shield and they rush at him as he taunts them further. 

“For party adventures?” I ask as I send Frostbite to defend Varielle, this part of the raid seems to have a lot of stray ambushers, and Thornton’s started to run and charge them while the other two take on the main groups.

“No, for when Chris and I play together. With my cat and his shadow skills, I might as well be the bait for their attacks.” She replies, laying down an ice trap to catch a group going after Nemarcus. 

Nemarcus in turn blasts them to bits with his spells. 

“And I get more traps.” She says tossing some tar traps out as a buffer behind us.

“That sounds useful.” I smile. “Five more levels and you can activate your multi-spec and have access to both.” I advise her. 

“That sounds like a great idea.” Yàvië grins as we lay down a field of raining arrows in front of us. “Why haven’t you done so?” 

“I don’t play enough for play more than one spec or class.” I remind her. 

“Right, you’re like Amber and Tina, always on the go, what do your folks think about you rarely being home?”

 _I was about to correct her, when I realize I have folks now_. Beth’s parents treat me like their own daughter. 

“They’re getting used to it faster than my having multiple relationships.” I smile. 

“I don’t know you how do it girl.” Yàvië says. “I plan on devoting time to my boyfriend, but you have a boyfriend and girlfriends on top of that! Where do you find time for them all!?”

“Boyfriend?” I look over to Chris who’s bouncing in and out of combat. “Calling him that already?” I say teasingly. 

“I’m working on it, come dance time I should have his sweet charming hunk of love all to myself.” She grins.

“He has won you over that much has he?” I tease her further. 

“The kiss he gave me when we left school… made my toes curl. If he can do that with his mouth, I definitely want to know what else he can do.” Yàvië says in a sultry tone. 

“Thornton, have you been giving Chris pointers?” Varielle says catching our conversation. 

“No, I’ve just been very observant watching you Cannina.” Chris says suddenly beside us. He gives Yàvië a quick kiss and disappears again.

“He’s enough to take my breath away!” she sighs. 

“Wow, she’s really smitten, Who thought Chris would be quite the lady killer now that he’s no longer shyly hiding.” Tarvel chuckles. 

“Hanging out with you all, I learned a lot of tips on how to win over a lady. I just wasn’t ready for it yet.” Chris says. 

“And now?” Varielle asks. 

Chris suddenly appears beside us again, dips Yàvië in a passionate kiss that lasts for over a minute. “Now, I shall show this lovely lass what a true gentleman is like.” He finishes off by bowing and kissing her hand before disappearing again.

“He’s such a dreamboat.” Yàvië says all flustered.

I smile. “I never imagined how tossing you two together would work out so well.”

“We still need to find a date for my sister, I don’t want her to feel left out of the dance.” Yàvië says thoughtfully as she takes aim for a kill shot. 

“Don’t think she’ll go for one of us.” Nemarcus says. “We’ll have to talk to Trent, see if there are any boys on the team she’d be interested in.”

“Oh.. Umm.. Nemarcus. You weren’t on the beach so you wouldn’t know… but Pam’s not looking for a boyfriend, there’s a reason she has a crush on Cannina.” Yàvië says slowly. 

I blush. “I was wondering about that.” I’m pretty sure the Lewis sisters are straight, what about Mia?” I say as I prepare a rain of arrows on my next group. “She’s cute.”

“You think Mia would go for my sister?” Yavie says thoughtfully. 

“I can’t believe you all are having this conversation during combat!” Sampson says as the last wave of this area finally go down.

“Well, we only have so much time to talk about this in school.” Yàvië says defensively causing Sylvianna to giggle. 

We rest up before going into the next section of the raid. The boys brought a repair bot with them, so we fix our things and top up our ammunition before heading on to the next boss. 

We thought this next section would be straight forward when we saw the boss with no adds. So we run in and attack him, only for the monster to blow a horn and call in reinforcements. So, now we’re stuck in a small room, needing to duck the giant’s swings. The boys work on the giant while the rest of us work on the waves of reinforcements he keeps calling. We were about to be overrun when suddenly the boss drops down and all of them just collapse. The round was so intense, I find myself breathing hard in person. The giant left us with a chest full of gear and treasure, and we split it up as evenly as we can - seeing as a few of the items are upgrades. 

There is a knock on my door. “Enter.” I call over my shoulder. 

“Pierre would like to know if you care for a late night snack.” Says a familiar voice.

I turn around. “Thank you Elise, I would very much like something, could you bring it up here? We’re only halfway through our raid.”

“Certainly ma’am, I’ll be up shortly.” She smiles and closes the door. 

“You get snacks delivered to you?!” Chris says having overhead the conversation. 

“Yeah, she lives in a big fancy house now with a chef, maids and butlers.” Sylvianna replies for me. 

“Wow, that’s pretty cool.” Sampson says. 

“Going to take time to get used to. You should see what the tech set up in my room while I was at school! Next movie night is at my place.” I smile. 

“Yes!” Sylvianna shouts, runs up to me and hugs me tight. “I love your new place.” She says and gives me a loving kiss. 

“So, who’s dating who?” Collin says, seeing as he’s seen me be affectionate with my boyfriend.

“This will take a bit to absorb.” Tarvel says. 

“So, Cannina here.” He points to me, “is dating Thornton, Varielle, Sylvianna and another girl who’s not in game.”

“Wow, she really gets around.” Sampson says, and Thornton stomach slaps him for his candid comment. “Ow, sorry.”

“Now Thornton and Sylvianna have a relationship as well, it’s a fun little triangle that they share.” Tarvel continues. 

“Woah…” Collin says in amazement. 

“And none of them get jealous or anything, I’m still trying to figure it out.” Yàvië says. 

“Well, we do have our moments.” Varielle admits. “But Cannina always makes sure that each of us feels special in our own way and don’t feel left out.”

“Why haven’t I met you lot before tonight?” Collin says in almost adoration. 

“We’ve only been in game for a week or so.” Varielle replies. 

“And you’re already doing entry level raids?! That’s amazing. It took me a month before I qualified!”

“Ditto.” Yàvië says. 

“Well, we do everything together.” Sylvianna says in a seductive tone.

“It does help when you’re with a group, I’d never be this far with the witch if I were playing on my own.” Varielle comments. 

“I love protecting my soft and squishy girlfriend.” I say to her teasingly. 

“I’m not that squishy!” she says objectively. 

“Hmm, but you are soft my love.” I say as I saunter over to her and give her a long loving kiss. She just melts into my arms. 

“Wow. Those new romance emotes are really cool!” Sampson gasps in surprise.

“I’ve never had a chance to test them out.” Collin agrees. “I see they work really good.” 

This comment causes some of us to chuckle. “Okay, lets move on to the next round.” Thornton says as he starts trudging forward down the corridor.

Elise puts a tray of buttered cinnamon bread beside me as we start moving forward. “Beth said no sugar tarts or banana bread, I hope this will suffice.” 

“Thank you Elise. This is great.” I reply. 

“There is milk, eggnog and juice in your fridge, as well as an assortment of fruit.” She says. 

“Wow! Thank you!” I say to her and she curtsies before leaving.

“You have your own mini fridge in your room?” Chris says as I join up with them. 

“She has her own kitchenette.” Varielle answers. “The only thing she’s missing is something to cook with!”

“Wooow.” The boys say. 

“I wish I had a room like that!” Collin says in amazement as we hit the next wave of patrols. 

“I know, right?!” Sylvianna comments as she’s tossing some healing on him. “I’ve been trying to convince her to let me move in!” 

“You know what your mom’s already said about that my love.” I remind my girlfriend. “Besides, I think you’ll need to compete with Varielle for that…” 

I look over to Cassandra’s character and she has a smug smile on her face, _what is my girlfriend planning I wonder?_

Travis whispers me. “ _I see you’re not the only one with long term plans on your relationship._ ”

“ _So it’s not just my imagination then?_ ” I whisper back to him. 

Thornton comes up to me after the last mob falls. “I love you.” 

“I love you too.” I smile and give him a tender kiss. 

I take a moment while we get ready for the next room to grab a glass of milk mixed with half eggnog. I find it too thick just on it’s own. 

We hit the last boss and this one is hard, we have to take him down fast or he’s going to start calling more waves than Chris thinks we can handle. So we follow his tips, and all hit on the boss, with only our pets and Varielle to distract the patrols he calls. And it pays off, just before the boss calls the next wave, which would have killed us, we down him and get bonus credit for a fast kill - doubling our rewards. The guys all pat Chris on the shoulder and congratulate him. When they’re done Yàvië walks up and gives him a deep passionate kiss. 

“I expect a kiss like this when we date on Friday.” She says seductively before she walks away. 

“Wow man, talk about pressure!” Collin says and elbows Chris playfully.

“Challenge accepted.” Chris gives this mischievous grin. 

My guild is amazing! I’ve made some pretty good friends with the one’s that aren’t here in my school. Chris is like a living encyclopedia for this game. He’s constantly researching tips, hints, and walk-throughs to get take down opponents faster. He’s also found all the hidden rooms for caches, and the guild has benefited from his finds., Mon oncle noticed I’m not in game as often as he is, and I routinely log in to find stacks of arrows that he’s crafted for me - ammo that’s way better than any shop I have access to. In return, I’ve started learning leather-working, and pass on to him items he can use or sell to pay for the what he sends me. 

I’m making an entire set of supple leathers for ma tante, who says they look gorgeous when dyed. She’s looked up the item set in the armory. I look forward to checking her social media page tomorrow once she’s taken screen shots.

“What are you making?” Varielle asks as she works at her alchemy table. Her potion making skills are supplying lower alts with curatives and buff potions. 

“Supple Leathers for ma tante Crystal. I say smiling. 

“I hope to have a new wand for you tomorrow Varielle.” Nemarcus tells her. “I’m just missing certain gems that I aim to get tomorrow after school.”

“I can help you if you like.” Varielle says. 

“I thought you go to the movies on Tuesdays.” Nemarcus says. 

“Cannina is taking our girlfriend for a one-on-one date, so I won’t be joining them.” Varielle answers. 

“Our girlfriend?” Nemarcus says. 

“Well, I might as well call Syl that, it’s eventually going to lead there sooner or later.” Varielle smiles. 

“I love you too.” Sylvianna hugs Varielle. 

“Now don’t you start! It took me the longest time to get used to Cannina casually sharing her love, I’m not ready for you might have to offer yet.” Varielle says in a stern tone. 

“Quit trying to seduce my girlfriend before I do.” I tell her. 

Sylvianna just giggles.“She’s **our** girlfriend now.” She says playfully sticking out her tongue. 

It suddenly dawns on me.“Wait, how did you know I was going to take Sylvianna to the movies alone?” 

“We talk.” Sylvianna says nonchalant. “After all, who else but his best friend can I get all the juicy details about our boyfriend.” She says playfully. 

“Hey!” Thornton says suddenly causing the girls to giggle. 

Collin looks up from helping Thornton with some metal smithing. “You people always like this?”

“Oh yeah, it gets to be a real riot at lunch time.” Tarvel grins. “Oh, I made some more bags for those who need some. I’m putting them in the guild vault, one per toon, please share, I’ll work on some more as I can - we got a good amount of cloth from that run.”

“Need any leathers for higher end bags?” I ask Tarvel. 

“Oh! That would be nifty! If you have a stack or two of heavy leather, I could even make new shoes for the girls too.”

“Baby wants to a new pair of shoes.” Sylvianna giggles. 

“You are not mine, but your will is my command.” Tarvel bows. 

“Amber is such a lucky girl to have you.” Sylvianna says dreamily. “Such a gentleman.”

“And who am I?” Thornton says mildly annoyed. 

“Oh my dearest Thornton, worry not your pretty head, no one will replace you in my heart.” Sylvianna says leaning against Thornton lovingly and putting her arms around him. 

He looks up into her eyes and smiles tenderly. “I never imagined I’d fall in love with you at all, and yet here we are.”

“You two look so adorable together.” Varielle says as she leans against me. “I’m going to love seeing you both dressed up on Friday, you will look absolutely stunning.”

“What? You let her see the outfits, but you won’t show me?” Thornton says now offended. 

“I haven’t shown Tina either, I want it to be a surprise for at least someone!” I say in my defense. I walk up to him. “Besides, you are going to look absolutely sexy in what I’ve chosen for you.” I purr as I slide my hands up his armor. 

“I will, will I?” He says raising an eyebrow and looking down at our girlfriend. 

“Don’t look at me, she hasn’t shown me the suit you’re going to wear, just my dress.” Sylvianna replies. 

“Well, it’s been a long day, and I need to be up early in the morning.” I say. “I’m going to call it a night.”

Varielle comes up behind me and puts her arms around me, leaning against my shoulders. “I wish I could be with you tonight.”

“I’ll gladly second that motion.” Sylvianna says with a sigh. 

“Ditto.” Thornton agrees with my girls. 

“You people are incorrigible.” I smile and kiss each one in turn. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“We get it from you.” Thornton teases me and kisses me again. “Goodnight my love.”

I get good nights from everyone else, and log off. 

I send a message to Jane about what’s going on with today. I send her pictures of my new suite, and my new additions, and then I tell her about my plans for the Harvest Dance. It’s not long before she pings me. 

-= Jane =- Do you think your folks will mind you got outfits for more than just you?

-= Rose =- I don’t know, but I didn’t blow a lot on each one, so I’m hoping they don’t mind. Otherwise I can look at paying them back.

-= Jane =- With the spending cash they gave you coming here, I don’t think they’ll mind, I’m just teasing you. ;o)

-= Rose =- Don’t worry me like that!

-= Jane =- Sorry love, I miss having you around to tease. How are your relationships going?

-= Rose =- Leilani and Travis are getting really affectionate with one another. I’m wondering if they’ll just break away from me as a couple.

-= Jane =- Do you feel like you’re drifting away from them?

-= Rose =- No, which is what is so weird. I can tell they’ve really started loving each other, but they’re affections for me haven’t changed much. 

-= Jane =- Or are you worried that you are spending more energy on the new girlfriend and Ms. Goth - and starting to feel guilty about it?

-= Rose =- I guess I have been sort of pushing the two of them together more and more… Which is why I decided to take Leilani out on a solo date. 

-= Jane =- You’ve never actually taken her out on a date before, have you?

-= Rose =- Umm.. No, come to think of it, this would be our first official public date.

-= Jane =- Where do you see you two going? 

-= Rose =- I… I don’t know. I know Leilani would lave to for us to have a family…

-= Jane =- But….

-= Rose =- I only mentioned this to her mom, but Cassandra is the one I want to marry.

-= Jane =- Oh really? You have your heart set on that? This early in life?

-= Rose =- I can’t give Travis children. As much as I love him, I can’t give him a family. 

-= Jane =- So… you’re hoping that the growing love between the two of them will lead them to wanting to stay together?

-= Rose =- I don’t know what I’m hoping, but even Travis said once that Cass and I would make lovely children, it just feels….

-= Jane =- You don’t believe in fate do you?

-= Rose =- I don’t know what else to call it.

-= Jane =- I’d say it’s late, you’re tired, and you’re over-thinking this. Go to sleep silly girl before you worry too much that you can’t rest.

-= Rose =- You’re right, good night. Love you lots.

-= Jane =- Love you lots kiddo. :o)

I stretch and yawn. Jane’s right, I need to stop over-thinking this and let my mind rest for the night. 

I get undressed, and slip into my overnight shirt that’s hanging on the bathroom door. I take the time to empty the clothes in my gym bag as well, putting the everything in the hamper. I wonder how I can get my laundry done, I’ll have to ask Beth in the morning. 


	41. Torrential Tuesday

I wake up to ‘Drops of Jupiter’, and soon realize that there’s more dripping than what’s in the song. I get out of bed and look outside, it’s pouring rain. I pad over to my computer, and it seems to be a random storm cloud that won’t last much past lunch, but it’s going to drench everything outside while it sits over us. 

I go over to my kitchenette, and pull out my blender, it’s one of those models where it’s a large travel mug that you can take with you. I put in half a cup of milk, half a cup of eggnog, a scoop of my protein powder, a scoop of chia seeds, a cup of the mixed berries that are in the fridge. I put them on smoothie while I go get dressed. 

I’m half dressed and putting my rain suit into my bag when there is a knock on my door. 

“What’s that strange noise Rose?” Beth says as she pokes her head around the door. She then spots my blender as it’s finishing it’s smoothie cycle. 

“Breakfast.” I smile. 

“You’re not going to eat anything downstairs?” Beth inquires. 

“Sorry, I got used to doing this when I first moved here, made one out of habit.” I say as I slip on my top and start buttoning my shirt. 

I grab my bag, seal the lid on my travel cup, and put in in the side mesh pocket. 

“So, movie night?” Beth asks me as we head downstairs. 

“Yes, I’m going to need my bike tonight, so I can cycle home after the show.” I reply with a smile. 

“You’re going to bike home, at almost 10pm?” Beth says surprised. 

“It’s supposed to stop raining by lunch time, the roads won’t be bad.” I reply casually. Beth shakes her head and smiles. “What?” I say confused. “It’s not like I haven’t done it before.” I say in my defense. 

“You weren’t a girl then.” Beth reminds me. 

“I’m perfectly capable to take care of myself.” I say annoyed. 

“Oh, I don’t doubt that little sister, but we’ll never hear the end of it if Mom hears you intend to cycle home late at night.” She says in a cautionary tone. “I’ll pick you up after the movie, no cycling.” Beth says firmly. 

I have to remind myself that, as my legal guardian, she’s effectively my mother, so there’s no point in arguing with her. We get into the dining room. I notice that mom & dad aren’t here. Knowing them, it’s raining so Dad drove Mom to the bakery to open early. 

“Okay. I’ll call you when I know when the movie finishes.” I say in resignation. 

“As a transgender girl, you should know that you are at a greater risk than I am to wander on your own at night. I know you can take care of yourself physically, but if they have a gun, no amount of that martial arts skill you have will save you.” Beth says in a worried tone. 

“You’re right.” I say with a grim smile. 

Elise comes in with a breakfast plate for Beth, and asks me if I want something. 

“No thank you.” I smile politely. “I have a liquid breakfast already made.” I pull out my mug and sit across from Beth to drink while she eats her meal. 

“Do you do that often?” Elise asks as she studies the mug I’m sipping from. 

“At least a few times a week. I got used to making breakfast on the go.” I say apologetically. 

“Are you sure you’re not hungry? Pierre already made your plate.” Elise says worried. 

“Oh, in that case, sure, I’ll eat it.” I smile. 

“Your drink won’t ruin your appetite?” she says surprised. 

“Rose is even more of a eating power house than Doug was Elise, she’s always hungry.” Beth smiles. 

“Very well.” She smiles. 

Beth and I are discussing the movie I intent to see with Leilani, surprised that I’m taking my girlfriend alone, and not going with others. 

“I owe Leilani at least one date on our own, we’ve rarely spent time just the two of us lately. I want her to feel that she’s still special.” I comment as Elise brings my plate of pancakes. 

Like Leilani’s Mom, there’s no syrup, I have jam, fruit and yogurt on top. Oh well, who am I to argue a healthier breakfast. 

“Hmm.. You do care a lot for her.” Beth comments. 

“When I look at how our relationship developed, while Monique was my first girlfriend, Leilani is my first love. She deserves to be treated special now and then.” I smile. 

“You are such a hopeless romantic.” Beth smiles as she eats her breakfast. 

“I’ve been told that before.” I grin, then take a large mouthful of pancake. _Oh wow, these are amazing!_

Beth smiles as she takes a bite. “Pierre’s buttermilk pancakes are pretty amazing, aren’t they?” 

“Hmmmmm” I let out a moan of happiness as I eat what’s in my mouth. I take a drink of my smoothie. “Wow.. That is amazing!”

“So, what’s in that drink of yours?” Beth asks, we have about 15 minutes before we need to leave. 

“Milk, eggnog, fruit, chia seeds and protein powder.” I say. “While these pancakes are wonderful, they’re just carbs, I need protein to keep my muscle mass.” 

“You still want to maintain your muscle mass, wouldn’t you want a more feminine form?” Beth queries. 

“Hmm.. I guess I do this out of habit.” I say, looking at my drink. “I spent three years needing to keep myself strong and agile, I guess I’ve forgotten what it’s like not to be.”

“I think you can relax on being Rose the body builder, and start letting Rose the romantic artist come out.” Beth says calmly. 

“You’re right.” I smile. “My endo did warn me to tone down on protein and that my reduced work-out schedule could lead to a small dip in my appetite.”

“What you do now is a reduced work-out schedule?” Beth says surprised. “How often did you work out before you moved here?”

“Every day, with a marathon length jog, then my regular morning calisthenics.” I say taking another bite of pancake. 

“Amazing.” Beth shakes her head. “Well, finish up and lets get moving. I don’t want to rush in this downpour.”  
I nod and Beth’s eyes grow wide as I roll up the remaining of my breakfast, and shove it all in. I just give her a grin and she shakes her head. I’m sure she’s seen her brothers pull this stunt but she doesn’t want to insult me by calling me out on my antics. Some male habits die hard… 

I pull my rain slicker form my bag and put it on before joining her to the door. We dash for her SUV and then head off to work. 

We chat about the upcoming Harvest Dance and I tell her how I plan to have us all match and be a knockout entourage. Beth smiles as I go on to explain what I’ve ordered, commenting that there’s the artistic side that she loves to see. I mentioned that Travis intends to drive us all to the manor after school so that we can get dressed up and ready for the dance at 7. Beth says she’ll get Pierre to make us an early supper, that way we can eat before we get dressed and we don’t potentially ruin the beautiful outfits. I ask her if there is a room for Travis to change in, and she mentioned that the room beside mine is Collin’s, so he can use it to change. It even has a bathroom if he needs to shave or wash. 

I advise her that I might end up somewhere else that night, probably Cassandra’s place. I don’t want to ask someone to come get me so late at night. The dance goes till midnight, I’m not going to ask Travis to drive me all the way home at that hour. Mrs Goth is going to be one of the chaperons, so she can drive us. Beth agrees that’s probably a good idea. 

We get to the café, and Lisa is waiting for us in a car. I don’t blame her for not wanting to be out in this downpour. Lisa holds a large umbrella over us as Beth gets the doors open. 

“I need to get an awning for this place.” Beth grumbles. As we shake the water off ourselves. 

“Looks like I’ll need to keep a mop handy to keep the floor from getting too slick.” I comment and Beth nods as we head into the back to open for the day. 

Lisa gets the pots going and the multi station powered so that it has hot water ready. Once I have my apron on, I clean the mop, I go and clean up our mess of coming in, and leave it dry for the next run. Like many rainy mornings, it’s not busy today, so Beth takes the time to catch up on paperwork. I take the time clean down and sanitize all the tables and washrooms. 

I think I can count on my fingers the amount of customers we get before I head off for Leilani’s place. I go into the office and I’m about to get into my splash pants, when Beth looks up. 

“Let me drive you to your girlfriend’s place.” Beth says. “It’s quiet here, Lisa can handle it till Liberty comes in.”

I don’t argue with her, nod and give her a hug. “Thanks.”

“I hope this weather lets up by the time you get out of school.” Beth says looking up at the sky while we wait at a light. 

“So do I. I would hate to try to get to the movies in this weather!” I agree with her. “It’s been years since I’ve seen the Last Unicorn, it’ll be interesting to see how they will present it.” I smile.

Beth smiles. “You’ll watch just about anything, won’t you?” 

“I don’t like RealityTV.” I respond. 

“Fair enough, but anything else is game?” she queries. 

“Pretty much.” I smile. “Thanks for the drive Beth, see you tonight.” I say happily as we pull up to the Forrest household. 

“See you tonight.” She smiles and I dash out of the car with my bag, only stopping when I get to the door, where there is an overhang I can tuck under to knock before I enter. 

“Good morning Rose!” I hear her mom call out. She must have seen Beth pull up from the kitchen window. 

“Good morning.” I say cheerfully after hanging up my rain slicker in the closet. 

“Leave it to you to be all cheerful in such dreadful weather.” She says shaking her head. 

“Today is Art, Gym, and Leilani and I are going to the movies.” I say happily. What is there not to be happy about?”

“I’m glad you are finally taking your girlfriend out on a date.” Her mother says. “I was wondering if your relationship would every leave the house.”

“We’re affectionate at school and everyone knows she’s my girlfriend there.” I say in my defense. 

“I suppose, but there’s something that tells a girl she’s special when you take her out someplace.”

“Like how we’re doing supper before the movie at La Vie en Rose?” I offer. 

“You’re not just going to the Malt Shoppe?” Her mother says surprised. 

“No, tonight I’m going to spoil my girlfriend.” I say with a wink. 

“You can afford that fancy restaurant on your barista salary?” she says putting her hands on her hips. 

“Oh, I have a new expense account, I can play with.” I say with a grin. 

“Those Simmons are going to spoil you rotten girl.” Her mother says in a cautionary tone. 

“After the life I’ve had, I think I’m due being pampered for once.” I say with a melancholy tone.

“You’re right child.” She says and she gives me a hug as my eyes suddenly well up with the emotion. “Just don’t let it get to your head, kay?”

“Yes Mama.” I say with a smile. 

She smiles and gives my cheek a pinch. “Now, go wake up your girlfriend while I make you two breakfast.” 

I nod and head upstairs. Leilani is laying on her stomach, okay, this won’t be so easy. I climb on top of the bed, and hover her and run my nose along her ear. Kissing her neck just behind it. She moans, as I continue kissing down to her shoulders and sighs as I kiss the crook of her neck. Soon Leilani is rolling underneath me and putting her arms around my shoulders. She pulls me down for a kiss, and reaches up with her legs and pulls my body down. We’re kissing deeply with her legs wrapped around me, dry humping as her morning passion gets the both of us going. We continue till she moans and gets off and she slumps down and sighs. 

“Wow.. That’s what I call a good morning wake up call!” Leilani says in a sultry voice. 

“Good morning my love.” I smile as I give her a sweet kiss. “Did you sleep well?” 

“Not as well as I woke up.” She smiles, reaching up and playing with my hair. “You don’t smell much like coffee this morning.” 

“It was quiet at the café.” I smile. “Come on, lets get dressed and see what you mom’s cooking for breakfast.” I smile. 

“Okay.” She smiles, and lets me go so that I can get up and get my clothes for the day. 

I come back with my clothes a few minutes later and she’s already in fresh underwear and putting on some jeans. I suggest she wear something special for our date, and she goes and choses one of her more stunning dresses. It’s a chilly day with the storm, I’m wearing the outfit that she got me to buy while we were back-to-school shopping. I have an unbuttoned black cardigan to cover the back. 

As I start us on our makeup, she’s looking at me curiously. “You only wear that outfit on special occasions.” She comments.

“We’re going for a lovely date together, is that not a special occasion?” I say with a coy smile. 

“What do you have planned tonight?” She says leaning forward with a seductive tone. 

“If I told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise.” I say teasingly. 

“Will I like it?” she says playfully, playing with the cardigan. 

“You most likely will.” I say with a smile. 

She gives me a quick kiss. “Okay!” She says happily, and we hold hands as we head downstairs. 

We get downstairs and Mama’s made something real neat: sausage & egg muffin sandwiches with hash browns. With my pancake breakfast, I actually find this filling. I slowly eat as Leilani and I discuss options for getting downtown. I still think the tram is the best choice, specially with what I have planned. That is, of course, if the rain has stopped by then. 

We’re almost done our Chem homework when Travis sends a message that he’ll be picking us up soon.   
“Perfect timing.” Leilani smiles. “We just have two other questions, we should be done by the time he gets here.” 

I smile. “Yes, I was worried we weren’t going to have this finished in time.”

We finish up our homework and putting our books in our backpacks when Travis honks. We smile at the perfect timing, get our rain slickers on, and dash out into the heavy rain. 

The passenger door is opening, as we approach the van, and we’re greeted by a happy Zoe and Trent. I lean into the driver’s side, and give my boyfriend a good morning kiss. 

“Thank you for the drive Travis dear.” I smile as Leilani closes the door. 

“Can’t leave my friends to walk out in this weather.” He smiles. “Good morning darlin’.”

As Leilani goes to give Travis a good morning kiss I lean over the seat. “Good morning my dears.” And the each lean forward for a kiss. 

“I couldn’t get the car this morning, so I texted Travis to pick us up.” Zoe says with a smile. 

“I’m liking the alternative.” Trent says with a smile. “Say, you and Leilani are really done up today.” 

“We have a movie date after school.” Leilani snuggles into me as we settle into our seats.

“That sounds romantic, can we double date?” Zoe asks. 

“Well, I have supper plans, and you may not want to eat at the same restaurant.” I say hesitantly. 

“What, I thought we were just going to the Malt Shoppe across the street.” Leilani looks at me confused. 

“I have a much more intimate supper planned for us my dear.” I smile. 

“You’re still not going to tell me where we’re going are you?” Leilani pushes. 

“Nope, I want it to be a surprise.” I smile wider. 

I can see Leilani going through restaurant options downtown, there are 4 to chose from, I’m hoping she doesn’t guess the one I want to go to. Outside of the Malt Shoppe, 2 of them are just small lunch-counter style eateries: one being Bob’s Fish & Chips, the other is Mother Tucker’s; which is a little home style eatery beside the bakery. The one I want to go to is beside the park. The fancy French restaurant is of the caliber of the Italian restaurant that I took Monique to, only more quiet and intimate. I look forward to spoiling Leilani tonight. Leilani gives me a puzzled look, she can’t figure out where we’re going, I can see - in her mind - she’s discarded La Vie en Rose as an option, so she’s totally puzzled where we would go. The Diving Pelican is no where near downtown. It’s fun watching mind work. 

“We can meet you at the cinema at 6 then?” Trent offers. 

I welcome the distracted offer and give Leilani a questioning glance. “Sure, that sounds great.” She smiles and nods. 

We pick up the Goths, with Alexander hopping in the back. Cass leans in and gives me a kiss before closing the passenger door and getting in up front with Travis. She gives him her customary friendly peck on the check as a thank you for picking them up on a rainy day. 


	42. Tuesday at School

We drop Alexander off at his school, and make the dash for the door as Travis parks as close as he can. We part first with Leilani and Zoe, then with Trent, before getting to our lockers. 

“So where are you taking Leilani out for supper tonight?” Cassandra asks curiously. 

“Don’t tell her.” I say as a warning and Cass gives me an ‘as if’ look with her hand on her hip. “La Vie en Rose.” I say quietly. Both Cass and Travis look at me in surprise. “What? I’m not allowed to treat my girlfriend to a nice supper?”

“We’ve only ever gone to the Malt Shoppe on movie nights.” Travis comments. “Why so fancy tonight?”

“Because, my sweet handsome man, Leilani and I have never had an official date. This is the first time I’ve taken her anywhere, I want it to be special.” I reply. 

“Fair enough.” He replies. 

“As for you my lovely Miss Goth, I have a different restaurant in mind for our next date.” I say turning to Cassandra. 

“Oh, really?” She says with a smile, coming up to me and putting her arms around my neck. “And when will that be?” She teases me.

I give her a loving kiss. “You’ll see.” I say with a coy smile. “I have a night planned for us, just not this weekend.” 

“Okay. I’ll let it slide… for now.” She teases me with a seductive smile, and goes back to retrieve her Chemistry book. 

I never thought I could get too much attention, but having 3 girlfriends, and one you’re courting in the same class... The level of flirtation I got from my girls today was almost too much! And that’s not including the usual playing around that Travis and I share. 

I found myself actually looking forward to my sophomore language arts class, where all I had to contend with was an affectionate Trent. And affectionate he is today. I’ve never had him flirt so overtly before, I found myself blushing at his advances. 

As we’re leaving class I snag Tim. “You need to ask Claudia today before the end of lunch, or Louis will have his chance to ask her next period during art class.” I warm him.

“You mean, I have to ask her today?” He says, suddenly nervous. 

“Yes, or you lose your chance with her, and she’s an amazing girl. You don’t want her slipping away.” I advise him.

“You’re acting like my asking her out is for dating and not just for the dance.” Tim gives me a sidewards glance. 

Trent and Zoe come up to either side of me and hook my arms. “You never know.” I give him a wink as we head into the cafeteria together. 

“You know, we could always do what Tina did with Chris, look how it’s working out with them.” Trent says pointing to Chris and Penny sitting together and giggling as they whisper into each other’s ear. 

“Wow, they got really cuddly, real fast!” Tim says in amazement.

I stop Tim before we sit down. “So, make a choice, ask her here among your friends, or ask her there with hers?” I point to where Claudia is sitting with 4 other girls. 

“I have to do this now?” Tim says pleadingly. 

“Yes.” I say firmly. 

“Okay, here then..” He says with resignation. 

“I’ll be right back then.” I smile and head off to go fetch Claudia. I can hear a ‘wait wait…’ from him and I wag my finger that it’s too late. I can hear my friends chuckle and laugh as they realize what I’m off to do. 

“Hi Claudia.” I say happily as I approach her and her friends.

“Hey Rose!” She smiles cheerfully as I grab a chair turn it around and sit on it backwards.

“I have a friend over there at our table who wants to ask you something, but he’s too shy to come here, can I borrow you for a moment?” I say with a smile. 

She looks at her friends and the all nod, and she smiles back. “Sure!” 

I get up from the chair, and reach out my hand, and she takes it, holding my hand as we go back to my friends. As I approach Tim, I take his hand and he blushes as I tug, encouraging him to get up from his chair to stand in front of Claudia. 

“Okay, now that you two are together Tim. Ask her.” I say in an authoritative tone. 

“I…” Tim starts. “Really Rose, now?” I nod and he blushes some more, takes a deep breath. “Claudia, can I escort you to the dance Friday night?”

Claudia smiles and he blushes even more. “Why Tim, that is so sweet of you to ask. I would love to be your date for the dance Friday night.” 

Tim looks both surprised and relieved she said yes. “Oh, umm. That’s great! We can, umm.. Plan it over lunch on Friday?” He asks bashfully.

“Sounds great, talk to you later.” She says sweetly, leans forward and kisses his cheek. 

I let go of her hand and she wanders back to her friends. I see them excitedly talking. “Looks like she’s been waiting for you to ask her.” I say with a smile. 

“That wasn’t very nice putting on the spot like that!” Tim says at last. “I’m going to get you back for this Rose.” 

“I think you’ll be thanking me later.” I wink at him and kiss his other cheek before sitting down with my girlfriends.

“Awe, lighten up Tim.” Chris says. “Who wants to be single all year, when there are lovely ladies like these, who appreciate geeks like us?” Penny hooks his chin and they kiss tenderly. 

“He’s right.” Brent smiles. “I mean, you guys are fun and all, but since I met Amber, I really regret not having asked her out sooner! You don’t want to go through High School single man, it’s just not as enjoyable.”

“Hmm.. But, you are definitely enjoyable.” Amber purrs and slides her hands down his chest.

“If I can start looking more like Travis”, Chris says, “I’d say dating Penny is definitely going to be a good thing for me.”

“We should join them at the gym on Mondays, get you looking as sexy and muscular as your rogue does in that vest.” Penny flirts putting her arm around him. I see Chris melt into her arms. _Wow, she’s really got him hook, line and sinker._

“If you look at it one way Tim, you were the only one left single at the table here.” Chloe smiles as she leans into Chuck. “Now you can join us in our lunch-time snuggling.” 

“I don’t know if I’m ready for lunch time snuggling.” Tim blushes. 

“I say we wait till after the dance, then we’ll see a new side of Tim.” Trent says encouragingly. 

We look up as we hear someone clearing their throat. “Oh, hey Marsha.” I smile. 

“You know, you are all really cuddly and affectionate…” Marsha starts hesitantly. 

“Is that bothering you?” Cassandra says boldly, leaning against me with her hand on my chest. 

“Oh.. Umm..” _I always knew she was quiet, why did Monique’s friends make her come here?_ “It’s just making some of the other students uncomfortable.” She says bashfully.

“Tell you what hun.” Tina says leaning forward and putting her hand on my knee. “If you don’t like our snuggly little corner, complain to the principal, and see how far that is going to get you. Far as I know, fraternizing with your significant other is not against school rules.”

“Oh, um, I guess it isn’t.” She says looking down at the ground. 

“Marsha, tell Monique to come here next time to vent her jealousy, otherwise, she’s to leave our girlfriend alone!” Leilani snaps at her. 

“Right…” Marsha says. “Sorry to bother you.” 

We watch her as she goes back to Monique and her friends, my friends all give Monique a dirty glance, and she suddenly looks in shock and puts her head down. 

“After all that trash talk about you being nothing but a lying cheating slut, she still loves you.” Cassandra comments as she watches them. 

“It’s what makes it hurt so much.” I say sadly. “I was the best relationship she’s ever had, she would have kept me forever if she could… She just wasn’t ready to share me with others.” 

“You are the best relationship any of us have ever had.” Tina comments. “I can understand why she has trouble letting you go. Now that we’re dating I don’t want to let you go either.” She says looking at the girls trying to reconcile Monique. “Well, she graduates in a few months, we won’t have to worry about her after that.” 

“Some of us graduate in a few months as well.” Brent says somberly. 

“We have time to figure that out my darlin’.” Amber smiles and kisses his neck as she holds him from behind. 

“Besides, what’s the worse the school is going to do with us?” Zoe asks. 

“Tell us to hang out with the GSA.” I smile. 

“Hey, didn’t you say that they had a guitar there?” Travis comments. 

“Yep, and the lot of us would literally take over the room.” I grin. 

“Sounds kinda tempting. “Trent says.” 

“Would mean us no longer being harassed for our public displays of affection.” Cassandra says snuggling up against me. 

“Go there tomorrow for lunch instead?” I offer. 

“Worth a shot…” Travis smiles. 

“Say.. Weren’t you guys supposed to be somewhere else today?” Zoe says recalling it’s Tuesday. 

“Oh, do you think Bobby will be annoyed that we all skipped computer club today?” Brent says suddenly realizing it as well. 

“Do you want to spend lunch away from your girlfriend?” Chris asks. 

“Not really.” Brent smiles.

“He’ll get over it.” Chris says as Penny feeds him some dried pineapple. 

“You guys are funny.” Cass says. “I don’t mind missing it, I can’t snuggle with Rose in the computer lab.”

“We should probably try to show up on Thursday though.” Travis says. 

“Will we be gaming that day?” Leilani asks hopefully. 

“Hmm… next month is the newsletter, right?” Travis says thoughtfully. 

“Yeah, when we tried to do it every month, people stopped reading it.” Brent replies. “Want me to see if Bobby’s parents can get the gaming rigs in?” 

“You guys game in the computer lab at lunch?” Penny says suddenly excited.

“Yeah, it’s either that or dork out on coding.” Chris chuckles. “Want to join us?” 

“More time with my hunk of a rogue in game?” Penny smiles. “You bet I do.” She says seductively and Chris leans forward and kisses her. 

“You guys will be without Leilani and I most of tonight. Guess you’re on healing duty Brent.” I remind him. 

“Darn. I should switch over to a druid, the abilities Finian has a nature healer is amazing.”

Amber whispers something into Brent’s ear. “Say, what movie are you two watching tonight Rose?” Brent suddenly asks. 

“The Last Unicorn.” I say, as Leilani leans against me. 

Amber whispers something else. “Can we join you?” He suddenly asks, I look at her and she gives me a wink. She doesn’t want him to game tonight, sneaky minx. 

“Well, we’re going someplace special for supper, so we can meet you there at 6.” I say. 

“She won’t tell me where we’re going either.” Leilani pouts. 

“Well, I’ll probably be eating supper at Amber’s place, as it’s walking distance, so we can meet you there.” 

“That was our suggestion too.” Trent says with a smile. “So now we’re a triple date group.” 

“You two going as well?” Amber asks. 

“It’s my favorite book.” Zoe says, “I want to see how true to the novel they make the movie.”

“Okay, so we’ll need a new healer.” Travis says.. “In a pinch I’m duel spec'd for Holy, and we can get Collin and Sampson again for tanking.” 

“Sound good to me.” Cassandra smiles. 

The bell rings and we all get up and start filing out of the cafeteria.   
As we’re starting to head to the lockers, I feel a familiar touch reach though my friends and land on my shoulder.

“What is it Monique?” I ask turning around. 

“You haven’t seen me in weeks and yet you knew it was me?” Monique says suddenly surprised as my friends turn around. 

“After our time together, I’ll always recognize your touch.” I say softly. 

“You’re not making this easy.” She says her eyes filled with conflict. 

“I don’t have time for this.” I say, and start turning around. 

“No, please Rose, don’t walk away.” I hear her plead. 

I turn back around, some of our friends start heading off to their lockers. Cassandra, Tina, Leilanie and Travis stand beside and behind me. 

“What is it then?” I say, trying not to sound too impatient.

“I… I miss you.” She says in a sad tone. 

“With all the rumours you spread around school, that makes it a little hard to believe.” Tina grumbles, the annoyance in her tone clear. 

“I… You have a new girlfriend?” Monique says suddenly realizing Tina has her hand on my hip. 

“Monique, there’s not much time for me to get to art class, is this about your portrait or something?” I ask, trying to find a logical reason for her to be here besides being love sick. 

“No. This isn’t about the portrait.” Monique says softly. “Rose, where did we go wrong?” 

“Monique, we didn’t go wrong. You wanted me to date only you. And I’m sorry, I can’t do that. I love Leilani, and Travis, and when you left Cassandra asked to be my girlfriend. I can love more than one person, but you can’t. I wish you could see that I do still love you, but I’m not giving up the people I care for to be your only love.” My tone is sympathetic, but I can still see my words bother her. 

Monique puts her head down in sadness. “I see.” 

“I have plans for a future with these wonderful people, you just want me around, how is that fair Monique?” I say turning the position around.

Monique suddenly looks up in realization of the one fight we had - about wanting a family. I can see her wanting to say something but failing at finding the words she wants to use. 

“Look, we’re going to be late for class, and most of this week is busy for me. Call me Sunday morning, and we can talk.” I say, worried about me and my lovers missing the bell. 

“Okay.” She says I can see her wanting to kiss, me but in the end she just walks down the hall.

“Is she going to be trouble?” Tina asks. 

“We’ll talk about this when I get home from the movie.” I say, “Lets get going before we’re late.”

We split our ways and get to class. I just make it to art class in time for the bell. The teacher says that we have an open day for art, and - as meeting Monique reminded me - I haven’t finished the sketch of her yet. So I work on getting it finished, so that I can give the pencils back to my teacher. 

I notice Louis walking away from Claudia with his head down. Looks like she just told him she already has a date for the dance. 

“That portrait of her is so realistic, from a distance it looks like a photograph.” My teacher says as she does her rounds. 

“I should have it done today so that I can give you the pencils back.” I smile to her. 

“That would be nice.” She says. “However did you manage to carry the case around without damaging anything?” 

“I might be athletic, but I know how to be gentle.” I wink and she merely just shakes her head and smiles. 

When we’re done class, she asks me if she can get a print made of it. It’s way too pretty and special to keep the original. I agree, and she said I can pick up my portrait from the office after school. I hand her the sketch and her pencils as we leave class.

Gym class we’re doing our warm-up jog. And my girls are around me.

“What do you think Monique wants?” Tina asks. 

“To win back Rose most likely.” Cassandra rolls her eyes. “Are you really going to talk to her alone?”

“Do you think that’s a bad idea?” I ask. 

“With that girl, definitely. She knows how to manipulate your feelings, I don’t trust her.” Leilani responds. 

“You two have been apart long enough that - if she stopped taking the pill…” Cassandra starts. 

“You don’t think she’d trap me in a relationship like that do you?” I say alarmed.

“I wouldn’t put it past her.” Travis replies. 

“Well, her cycle is at the end of the month, so I don’t have to worry about that right now.” I reply. 

“You tracked her menstrual cycle?” Cassandra says surprised. 

“I also track Leilani’s and I’m looking to track yours next.” I reply. “I need to know when it’s safe to be intimate.” 

“And when not to make a mess during love making.” Leilani giggles. 

Cassandra shakes her head, as much out of amazement as for my girlfriend’s cheeky comment. 

Coach has us form a ‘dream team’, gathering the best team for the girls, and then the best team for the guys, and have us play a match. I feel sorry for Travis, Chris and the boys, but they’re just no match for Tina and I when we’re working on the same team. 

“You and your girlfriend.” Travis says out of breath as we face off. 

“I’ll make it up to you later lover.” I wink, take the ball and get around him with ease. 

After the game, Penny and I give our boyfriends hugs. I wipe the sweat from Travis’ brow and give him a tender kiss. Penny mirrors my motions, and the boys lean against us. 

“I think we wore them out.” Penny says giggling. 

“I think we need to take them on more than one workout a week.” Amber chuckles as she comes up to us. 

“Please, no more workouts.” Chris says exhausted, leaning his head on Penny’s shoulder.

“Well, better luck next time boys.” Tina teases as she slides her arm around my waist.” 

We get groans in response and the coach blows his whistle to end today’s class. 

“Why don’t you change with us Rose?” Tina asks as my girlfriends catch up with us. 

“I can’t if the school commission were to find out I was in the girls change room, it could cause trouble for the school. It’s safer for me to use coach’s office.”

“You changed with us before we left for Newcrest.” Amber says confused. “Most of us know you’re trans, it’s not like it would be a problem for us.” 

“I rather just play it safe for now okay?” I frown.

“Sure thing honey.” Tina says and gives me a kiss before running off to change. 

I come out of the shower, dressed and drying my hair. Coach is waiting for me

“So how many of them are you dating Montgomery?” he says noting how cuddly my girls were today. 

“Currently Three, four if Zoe gets her way.” I reply. 

He smiles and shakes his head. “Well you are unlike any girl most of us have ever known, I can’t blame them for wanting you. Just be careful you don’t go breaking any hearts.” 

“Thanks for the advice coach.” I smile. 


	43. Dinner & a Movie

After school, I kiss Cassandra and Travis goodbye. Travis has offered to drive us. Leilani was tempted, but I reminded her it’s cause he just wants to know where I’m taking her. 

We hop on the tram with Zoe, Trent, Amber and Brent. We’re chatting excitedly about what we hope to see in the movie from the previews we’ve seen. Zoe and Trent get off first, as they will be eating at the Malt Shoppe. We get off with the rest of our friends, as Amber’s apartment is above the sports shop, right across the street of my first destination: the flower shop. 

I ask Leilani to stay outside and I get a bouquet of 4 roses: Red, white, dark pink and pink. Showing all the love and emotions I feel for her. When I come out, she’s chatting with Beth who’s in the process of closing the café for the night. I hide the roses behind my back as I approach them. 

“Hi Beth, all done for the day?” I smile. 

Leilani turns around and hugs me. “Took you long enough!” she complains.”

“Sorry darlin’ I should have called them ahead to set this bouquet for you.” I say stepping back and presenting her the flowers complete with baby’s breath and some greenery. 

“Oh Rose!” Leilani eyes light up, and she takes the bouquet, and inhales the aroma. “They’re so lovely, this is the first time you’ve brought me flowers!” She leans against me and smiles admiring the bouquet. 

“Impressive.” Beth smiles. “Treating your girl to a special night?”

“She deserves it.” I say holding Leailni who’s enthralled with the bouquet. 

“When should I pick you up tonight?” Beth inquires. 

“Movie is done at 8:30” I tell her, having noticed the times as we rode by on the tram. 

“I’ll see you then little sister.” She teases and heads over to her car. 

“Where to now?” Leilani asks her voice all full of love and affection. 

“We walk to the restaurant.” I smile. “It’s only down the block. I say as she puts her arm around my waist. 

“But the only restaurant a block away from here before the park is….” Leilani says thinking. “You’re taking me to La Vie en Rose?!” Leilani suddenly says in surprise. 

“Told you that you’d be surprised.” I grin, and her face lights up in delight and she gives me a hug. We stand there embracing for awhile before she finally lets go and we can walk again. 

“You’re totally spoiling me tonight.” She says lovingly. 

“You totally deserve it my dear.” I smile. 

We walk into the restaurant and the Maitre D looks at us oddly. “Réservation pour Rose.” I say to him. 

“Ah oui.” He suddenly smiles. “Votre table est prêt madmoiselles, suivez-moi.”

“He’s talking in French, isn’t he?” Leilani says is a low whisper. 

“Yes, I have dinner all planned, do you like duck?” I ask her. 

“Sounds yummy.” She smiles. 

He sits us at a nice quiet table by the windows overlooking the park. It’s a lovely view of the sun starting to come down to the tree line. He hands us menus and asks what we would to start with. 

“On a pas beaucoup de temps pour souper, on s’en va au cinéma ce soir.” I start warning him we’re short on time. “Soup à l’ognion pour commencer et un quart de bouteille de vin rosé.” 

I see him quirk an eyebrow, I flash my platinum card and he changes his tune. “Un vin de maison suffi?” he ask. 

_Yeah the house wine should be fine._ “Oui merci.” I smile. He bows and heads off. 

“So what are we starting with?” Leilani asks as he goes away. “Did you just flash him a platinum card?” 

“The Simmons are spoiling me, yes. I told him I’d like to start with French onion soup, and a quarter bottle of a rosé wine. We should get 2 glasses each out of that.” 

“You ordered wine?” Leilani says surprised. 

I shrug. “Between the Goths and Beth’s parents, I’ve grown accustomed to wine for supper. Like what we had Sunday night.” 

“Oh, right.” Leilani smiles. “That made me a little tipsy.” She giggles. 

Soon our waiter comes by with a carafe of wine, pours us each a class and leaves the rest on the table. 

“Bonsoir, mon nom est Ernest, je suis votre serveur ce soir, votre soupe est presque préparée. Avez vous choisi, ou voulez-vous un peu plus de temps?”

I already know what I want, so no point in delaying our meal, we have just under 2 hours to enjoy a nice quiet supper. “Oui Ernest. Deux poitrines de canard rôtis, puré de patates, et légumes saisoniers, avec une langue de pain.” 

“Une excellente choix.” He smiles, I notice his accent is different than mine, would that be the cajun of this region? He heads off with our order. 

“So, what did my beautifully speaking girlfriend order us for supper? Leilani says leaning on her elbows. 

“Roast Duck, with mashed potatoes, seasonal vegetables, and a small loaf of bread on the side.” I smile as I take a sip of wine. The soup is almost ready.” 

“Where did you suddenly learn fine dining.” She gives me a loving look. 

“Here and there.” I give her a coy smile. 

She reaches out a hand for mine, and I oblige. “Just when I think I know you, you come up with a surprise.” She says in adoration. 

I smile. “Beth figures it’s going to be a few years till she really learns the whole story about me. As much as I’m an open book about my feelings, she realizes there’s a lot of my past that she may never know.” My face get a bit more serious. “Some parts of my past I’ll never let anyone know.” 

“I love you for who you are.” Leilani reaches up with her other hand and caresses my cheek. “Who I have in front of me is more important that who you were.” 

“Thank you.” I say squeezing her hand lightly.” 

We just sit there quietly loving our moment together when the soup arrives. I haven’t had French onion soup in a long time. If they make it the traditional fashion, we’re in for a treat. I thank Ernest as he puts the oven bowls in front of us. They are sitting on a plate so that he can carry them. He warns us that they are hot, lifts their lids and leaves us to our appetizer. The aroma from the soup is heavenly. 

“I haven’t had decent onion soup in a long time!” I say licking my lips. “This is going to be a real treat!” 

I gently break the cheesy crust and let the heat of the soup seep out. Leilani watches what I’m doing and copies my motions. I blow on the soup. 

“We’ll need to give it a moment to cool, it probably just came out of the oven.” I say with a smile. 

“What’s in here?” Leilani asks, sniffing at the soup. 

“If they did it traditionally, it’s a wine seasoned beef broth, with caramelized onions and French bread. The cheese on top is soft like mozzarella, so expect it to be stringy.” I smile as I take my first scoop and blow on it to cool. 

Leilani does the same and, when she brings it to her mouth her eyes suddenly go wide, followed by her emitting a long ‘hmmmm’ of satisfaction. “This is amazing!” she says, her eyes sparkling and going for another spoonful. 

“Mon oncle Denis is a chef in the city. Special events he would make traditional French meals for the family. I’m going to miss his Harvestfest Dinner this year, so I thought it would be fitting we come here so I can still get a taste of home.” 

I take another bite. “Oh, they went all the way with the cheese…” I smile. “Provalone, Swiss and Parmesan if I’m not mistaken. Thought I’m having trouble placing the wine they used…”

“You can tell all that?” Leilani says surprised, looking at the bowl. “It’s an artist thing, isn’t it?” She queries. 

“I’ve been told it’s a family gift, being able to taste what is in a dish.” I smile as I take a sip of the soup. “It’s why half of my family are cooks, and why I’ve been told I’m a natural in the kitchen.” 

“Well, I certainly love your cooking. I hope you don’t loose your knack while living in the manor house.” Leilani smiles. 

“Leilani, after graduation, Travis, Cassandra and I are most likely going to be leaving Willow Creek for Britechester.” I say concerned. “What are you planning?” I’m now curious. “I thought you didn’t want to go to university.”

“I don’t, but it doesn’t mean I can’t come with you does it? You don’t plan on leaving me here all alone do you?” she says suddenly worried. 

“Of course not. I’m sure we can find something for you to do up in Britechester.” I smile. 

“I was hoping you would say that.” Leilani smiles and goes back to eating. 

We make small talk about school as we continue to eat our soup. Ernest brings our bread around about halfway through eating to see how we are doing. The loaf is unsliced, so there is a bread knife and a large dish of butter on the wooden board he leaves at the center of the table. This is wonderfully romantic, Leilani and I don’t get a lot of time to just talk alone anymore, she’s loving the one-on-one attention - like when we first started seeing each other. 

When we’re done the soup, Ernest picks up our bowls, and a moment later brings around our dinner plates. The roast duck is nearly as juicy as Pierre’s and the rest of the plate is perfectly seasoned with butter and a touch of salt. 

“So, when do the dresses arrive?” Leilani moves on to the topic of the upcoming dance. 

“They should be delivered on Thursday. Seeing as we’re all changing at the manor, I set up the deliveries to all come to me.” I start. “Beth says she can arrange so that we have dinner before we get dressed, so we don’t chance on ruining our fancy clothing with the lasagna that’s planned for Friday night.”

“Hmm.. Lasagna, that sounds yummy.” Leilani says tasting her potatoes. “Oooh. The potatoes are so creamy!” she hmmms. “So, why corset dresses?” Leilani continues.

“Why not?” I say with a shrug. “As long as we don’t tie them too tight, we shouldn’t be too uncomfortable for the evening. Way better than a hidden corset for some of the southern bell dresses that I’ve heard some of the girls in our class are going to wear.” 

“You’d think we’re getting ready for prom.” Leilani giggles. 

“I would like to think of this as getting ready for it.” I smile. “The choice of red and black is so that we can wear these again for the Love Festival dance.” 

“You are so smart.” She smiles at me lovingly. 

“Well, who wants to put that much effort for a dress you’ll only wear once?” I reply. 

“A wedding dress you only wear once.” Leilani reminds me. 

“A wedding for any of us is a few years away, I wanted to have something pretty in the meantime.” I smile. 

“Do you see us getting married some day?” Leilani asks curiously. 

“I don’t know.” I give her an honest answer. “I don’t think I’m allowed to have more than one spouse.” 

“And you’re torn between us?” Leilani says thoughtfully. 

“Well, it’s either going to be you or Cassandra my love, so at least I’m down to two.” I say. 

“What about Travis?” Leilani says suddenly surprised. 

“I love Travis dearly, and would spend my life with him if I could, but I can’t give him a family. I can’t get pregnant.” I say sadly. 

“Oh.” Leilani says, cutting some duck. “And Tina?” 

“I don’t see Tina and I being together after graduation, she’s going to apply for athletic scholarships, and she’s as likely to be picked up by another university.” I say. 

“So, she’s just a fling. That’s why you two share a sexual relationship, more than a romantic one?” Leilani catches on. 

“You noticed that, eh?” I reply. 

“You two have a much different relationship than what you share with Cassandra and I” Leilani nods. 

“Either way, we have a good year before we need to worry who is marrying who.” I continue. “Like our parents have advised me, we’re all to young to make such permanent choices so soon.” 

“You’re right.” She sighs “I just worry sometimes that, with all these other girls, I’m going to lose you some day.” 

“Leilani, you are my first love.” I say softly. “While Monique may have been my first kiss and my first lover, you already had my heart before her and I were dating.” Leilani looks up at me surprised. “I fell in love with you the moment we met, I was just too scared to admit it.” I smile. 

“So, when I first told you that I thought I loved you, you were already there?” She catches on. 

“Yes. Which is why I continued pursuing our relationship - even thought I know I shouldn’t have… I loved you too much to let you go.” I say with a loving smile.

“Which led you to realize that you can love more than one person. Specially that night you kissed Travis.” Leilani smiles. 

“Exactly. It’s not always easy balancing out my needs and desires. Then there’s wanting to keep each one of you happy, so that you don’t feel neglected or forgotten. Which is why I planned this date tonight. I’ve been pushing you and Travis more and more together as I explore my feelings with Tina. I’ve not been fair to you, and I’m sorry if you felt I didn’t love you as much.” I say apologetically. 

“You come to me every morning. I’m the first love you see every day. I am the first one you kiss, and express your feelings for. While sometimes I feel like I’m just a sideline again, you always find a way to make me feel special.” She smiles. I can see a happy tear forming in her eyes. “You didn’t need to do this, but you didn’t hesitate when I mentioned I would be sad walking to school alone again.” 

“You’re happiness is important to me.” I say lovingly. “I once told your mother that I will never willingly hurt you. And I intend on keeping that promise.”

Leilani smiles as she takes a bite of her supper. “Thank you.” 

We continue our the rest of supper trading off small loving terms and comments. Part of me wishes that I could say yes to her question of family and marriage. I could see myself happy with her. But I feel Cassandra has other plans for us, and I don’t want to promise something I can’t commit to. 

I pay off supper with a decent tip, and Ernest says he hopes to see us here again. We walk down the road as it’s approaching 6. There is a small sliver of daylight left as the sun set almost an hour ago, leaving the sky this lovely hue of reddish purple. We first join up with Amber and Brent as we cross the street to the gym. The look on their faces, they had an enjoyable ‘desert’ after supper. 

We catch up with Zoe and Trent who are sharing an ice cream while waiting for us. 

“So where did you go for supper?” Zoe asks. 

“Rose brought me to the the fancy French restaurant by the park, the food there is amazing!” she says. “I can tell that, even with supper, she’s feeling the wine by how exaggerated her motions are. 

“You brought her to La Vie en Rose? .. And flowers.” Amber smiles as she notices the bouquet. “You pulled out all the stops for her tonight.” 

“I wanted a night to show Leilani that she was still special to me.” I smile. 

“Will you take me to dinner sometime handsome?” Zoe asks Trent. 

“I took you to dinner tonight.” Trent says defensively. 

“Hmm.. Okay, but next time I chose the restaurant.” Zoe says seductively. 

“Sorry Trent, looks like I set a precedent for you.” I say apologetically. 

Leilani snuggles against me. “Flowers were a definite plus.” She says dreamily. “Then there was this amazing soup, and roast duck…”

“Pierre’s roast duck isn’t as dry as the one we had tonight, I’ll have to see about inviting you the next time he makes some.” I smile. 

“Wow. You are getting spoiled by Beth’s family!” Leilani squeezes me.

We go into the cinema and pay for our tickets. Being the early show there are a lot of young families. Being a PG movie, there are very few kids younger than Alexander, and some Freshmen are on their own. I spot Nali, Sue and her girlfriend Alice in the concessions line. We wave to them as Amber and Zoe go to find seats, leaving Trent, Brent and I to get food. Leilani was not willing to part with me in anyway, so she stays snuggled to my side as we wait in line. The girls wait for us, and we all walk together into the cinema. 

Zoe and Amber have chosen seats at the back of the theater. I wonder was they have planned for their boyfriends. They even reserved seats for Nali, Sue and Alice. So we all sit together, with poor Nali on her own at the end. The rest of us are all snuggled in our respective couples. I notice that Trent and Zoe are right beside me. Sure enough I feel a hand brush my leg and settle on my knee as the lights go down. Leilani and I spend the time from the lights dimming, to the movie starting, making out. She’s even snuck her hand under my skirt and fondling my hard-on as we passionately kiss one another. I’m thankful I didn’t tuck. I glance around for a moment before evening the score and we moan into each other’s mouths as we masturbate each other off. As the movie starts we happily cuddle together. 

“Good thing we chose seats at the back.” Amber whispers over to me. “You two really went at it!” 

“Sorry.” Leilani cheeks darken as she blushes. “I couldn’t resist.” 

“I can imagine what you two are like when you watch movies at home.” Trent leans over catching the conversation. 

“When we’re alone, we rarely get about halfway through it before making love.” I reply candidly. 

The movie was amazing, it was so true to the book. I would glance over from time to time to watch Zoe’s reaction to the film. It was so adorable, how she got so into the movie. Leilani snuggles against me the whole movie, slowly moving her hands over my body, like I would disappear if she let go. I’ve not felt her this clingy in a long time. I wonder if it’s the wine… 


	44. After the Movie

Once the movie is over we all head to the bathrooms to release all the pop we just drank. I still have some leftover popcorn, after the supper we had, neither of us were particularly hungry. 

I spot Beths SUV in the line of cars waiting to pick people up. We say goodnight to our friends. Trent and Zoe insist on good night kisses. So I spend a few moments saying goodnight to each of them before they happily head off to Trent’s parents car. _Did they just see me kiss their son and his girlfriend? This could get awkward._

“That was quite the good night kiss you gave those two, I though you said you weren’t dating anyone new.” Beth says calmly as we climb into the back seat. 

“We’re working out the details. I kissed them Saturday night, and now they want to be more than just friends. At this point, I think it’s safest to say we’re courting.” I say with a frown. 

“Zoe and Trent aren’t sexually active yet.” Leilani says candidly. “It won’t go past snuggling with Rose any time soon.” 

“So, not like you two?” Beth teases. 

“No, not like us.” I smile and give my girlfriend a kiss. “Though Trent’s parents leaned really heavily on wanting so see me as his girlfriend when I ate at their place on Friday.”

“Oh really?” Beth says as she pulls out. 

“Yeah, it was a little awkward how heavy their hinting was, considering Trent and Zoe have been dating for a few weeks now.” 

“A relationship, you encouraged no doubt.” Beth teases me. 

“It was a way to get them to stop flirting with me, and … well… I guess that plan failed.” I say with a sigh. “And Zoe has this amazing hourglass figure like my little princess here, she’s going to be hard to resist.”

“I bet she’ll never love to you the way I do.” Leilani whispers seductively, nibbling on my ear.

“No one compares to you in that regard my love.” I smile and hold back a whimper on what she’s doing to my ear. 

“Not even Tina?” Leilani says surprised. 

“She comes close… but what you do is amazing.” I whisper in her ear. 

Beth looks at us through the rear mirror. “You two are always this bad together.” 

“I think it’s the wine, she was like this on Sunday as well.” I hold Leilani’s hand from wandering under my skirt. 

“Hmm… okay, we’ll have to hold back on the wine the next time she dines over.” Beth shakes her head.

“Where’s the fun in that?” Leilani pouts. 

We get her home and we get out of the car. “I can’t get you to stay with me tonight, can I?” Leilani says sadly. 

“You’re parents wouldn’t approve of that my love.” I say softly. 

Leilani sighs and leans against me chest. “Will we every have time alone again?” 

“I’m working on that.” I say caressing her cheek. “I miss our time together in bed as well.” 

“Okay…” she says “Thank you for tonight, it was amazingly romantic.” 

“You are welcome my love.” I hug her tight. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

She lets go of me and looks up at me, she pulls me down and gives me a long needful kiss. “See you tomorrow honey.” 

I walk her to her door, and we share one last kiss good night before she leaves my side for the night. I take a deep breath and comb my fingers through my hair as I walk back to Beth waiting in the car. I get into the front passenger seat, leaving my bag in the back seat. 

“So, did you have fun tonight?” Beth asks as we start driving home. 

“It was a beautiful romantic dinner.” I smile. 

“Don’t go crazy with that card Mom got you.” Beth comments. 

“I’ve already put back into the charge account what I can of what I spent.” I say to her. 

“You know, you’re supposed to keep the money you work for.” Beth reminds me. 

“I feel guilty if I don’t at least try to cover some of the expense.” I reply. 

Beth smiles. “There’s that frugal nature you were raised on, Dave is much the same.” 

“Well, I did go a little spend happy for the dance, wait till you see the dresses I ordered.” I smile. 

“And pantsuits, if I recall seeing the order on the card.” Beth smiles. 

“Oh, you saw those did you?” I say blushing.

“I’m your legal guardian Rose, I’m responsible for what you do and spend.” Beth cautions me. 

“Oh.” I say looking down at my lap. “You’re not upset are you?” 

Beth smiles. “As long as you don’t go and make a habit of this, I don’t mind a little extravagance now and then.” 

“Okay.” I relax a little. “I really don’t think I’ll be spending anything big till Winterfest after this….” I say thoughtfully. “Except for Leilani’s birthday. But I should be able to afford what I want to get her on my own funds.” 

“You already have an idea in mind?” Beth queries. 

“I want to get her a fine gold chain, and floating heart pendants. I want to see if I can combine the gifts with her parents and Travis.” I smile. 

“Combine how?” Beth is now curious. 

“Well, before I got the expense card, I could afford the chain and one pendant. It’s going to have my name with my birth stone. I’m hoping that Travis can give her a heart with his, and that her parents can add hers. So that she’ll have 3 hearts on the pendant showing our relationship.” I reply.

“There’s the artistic romantic in you.” Beth smiles. “Whens her birthday?” 

“Next month, on the 15th.” I smile. 

“For Amber and Pam, we’re just going to throw birthday bashes with the soccer team. Pam’s is next week, Amber is at the end of the month.” I say counting off dates that I know.

“And Travis?” Beth gets curious

“His isn’t until June, and Cassandra’s is before that in May.” I answer. 

“Any idea what you are going to get them?” Beth is curious how far I’m planning ahead. I merely shake my head. “How many birthdays do you know?” Beth is curious about my memory, she knows how bad I am with dates. 

“Well, I put them in my phone as I find them out.” I smile as I look down at my device. “November we have Carol on the 5th, she’s our lead defense. And then there is Leilani on the 15th. There’s no birthdays in December or January, mine is the next one that comes up on February 18th. Then there’s Monique’s in March - which I guess I don’t have to worry about that anymore. Tina’s is in April, and I hope to do the same heart pendant with her. Penny’s is also in April, I’ll have to work with Chris on a gift that we could maybe give her together. Otherwise, I’m going to make her something really special in game.” 

“In game?” Beth interrupts me. 

“Yeah, Penny plays Refuge Online with us. I’ve started crafting leathers, and - like me - she’s a hunter. So I was thinking of making her something really cool for her class in game.”

Beth smiles and shakes her head. “Geeks.” 

“Otherwise, I could give her a gift of making her character costume in real life for GeekCon.” I grin. 

“So you found the sewing and craft room.” Beth smiles. 

“It’s going to be so cool making outfits for all of my friends!” I say excitedly. “Oh. I need to find out when Chris’ birthday is!” 

“So who’s Chris?” Beth says confused. 

“He’s in my computer club, my guild online, and now dating the team’s right defense Penny.” I smile. 

“Not a romantic interest?” Beth probes. 

“No, there’s nothing going on between Chris and I, he just loves the coding I can do.” I smile. 

“The only real plan I have for my loves is for Winterfest: I’m getting them all claddagh rings.” I smile. 

“Like my engagement ring?” Beth says catching on. 

“Yes. The ring on the right hand, pointing inward shows that your heart is professed to someone. Where as yours on the left hand point out means you’re engaged. When you marry, the heart will be turned inward meaning your heart is taken.” 

“Who thought one little ring could have so many meanings.” Beth says in wonder, looking at her ring finger a moment. “So, you’re giving all your lovers promissory rings?” 

“Basically, yes.” I agree with her. “The only exception to a plain gold band and heart is the one I plan to give to Cassandra.” I continue. “Hers is going to have a diamond in it.” 

“Because you intend to turn it into more later.” Beth catches on. “Have you told your very snuggly Leilani than she’s not the one you’ll be marrying?” 

“You figured that out have you?” I look at her. “No, I told her we have time to sort out how are relationships are going to pan out after graduation.”

“Because you don’t want to hurt her or promise her something you can’t commit to. What if Cassandra asks first?” Beth queries. 

“You know, that’s what Mama Goth said as well, I’m starting to wonder if she has something planned for us.” I say thoughtfully. 

“So, your not the only one who has long term plans for your relationship.” Beth says thoughtfully. 

“Apparently not.” I say with a frown. 

“Does that bother you?” Beth looks over at my reaction. 

“I don’t know. I just don’t like surprises. Not knowing what my girlfriend has planned for us is a little unsettling.” I say in a worried tone. 

“Would you tell her no?” Beth wonders. 

“I could never deny Cassandra my heart.” I reply without hesitation. 

“Wow, you really do love her that much?” Beth is surprised. 

“I do. I scares me sometimes how much I love her, even though we’re not sexually involved, I love her more than anyone else.

“Well that explains the matching dresses for the dance.” Beth smiles. “You know, those almost look like wedding or prom dresses, you sure you want something that fancy for the Harvest Dance?” 

“Absolutely.” I say firmly. “I want to be the envy of the dance.” 

“Wow.” Beth eyes grow wide. “I never expected you to play the popularity game.”

“When my lovers and I first showed our affections in public, we were mocked, and I could hear the nasty whispers as we went past. Now that it’s been over a week, people are starting to get used to the fact that we’re together, and affectionate. I move in a group of 6 to 12 at any given time. Between my teammates, my computer club, close friends, lovers and significant others, we’re easily 20 people all together. I never expected to become the popular girl in school, but - as you mentioned Beth - I rarely go anywhere alone. I’m always surrounded by friends and loved ones. So, this dance is to prove just how powerful my circle really is.” I say with a straight face.

“I see.” Beth nods as we pull up to the manor house drive. “This is your way to finally no longer be ignored, bullied and beaten. You’re doing this to no longer hide. You want to proudly show who you are, and that you don’t care what others think?”

“Yeah. I guess I am.” I say a smile growing on my face. 

“Well, these outfits will definitely make an impression.” Beth smiles. “I’m actually proud of you.” As she pulls into her parking space. 

“Oh?” I say curious. 

We get out of the car, I grab my bag from the back, and we start walking to the house. “When you first moved here, you were still shy, and unsure of yourself.” Beth comments. “In only a month and a half you have found yourself, and you are no longer wanting to hide who and what you are. That takes a lot of courage.” 

“My friends’ support has helped.” I smile and we nod to Barnes as he opens the door. 

“All I can say is that we’ll want pictures of you all before you leave for the dance.” Beth smiles. 

“Definitely.” I smile as I head upstairs while beth heads off towards the living room. 

I get up to my room and sit down at my computer. I see an SD card on a note in Mom’s elegant handwriting. 

“Pictures from the beach.” I smile and slot the memory card into the reader on the front of my box. I wait for a moment as the card comes up as a removable drive. I start going through the pictures that were taken. I take about 15 minutes setting up the album on my social media page. Putting the better pictures up on there. I leave the album open to my circle, remembering that some of my loves had taken pictures of their own. 

After I finish posting that the album is up for viewing, my phone rings. I nearly jump, I’m not expecting a call at this hour. I look down at the call display, and I’m amazed at who’s calling. 

“Hello Monique.” I answer the phone. 

“I just saw you post on your page, so I figured you were home from your Tuesday night movie date.” Monique says in a soft voice. “You all look like you were having fun.” 

“Thanks, it was a fun weekend.” I smile. 

“Your page also says you moved…” I can hear the confusion in her voice. “Where are you living now?” 

“At Winslow Manor with Beth and her parents. The other half of my brothers ‘punishment’. Apparently I need adult supervision.” I say annoyed. 

“Well, considering how cuddly you and your lovers were on the beach, it makes our public displays of affection mild in comparison.” Monique says with a touch of bitterness. 

“What do you want Monique?” I say exasperated. I thought her and I were done, and this is twice in one day! 

“I told you earlier at school… I miss you.” Monique says in a quiet voice. 

“You do?” I say mildly surprised. “You certainly haven’t been acting like that in the past week.” 

“You didn’t give me time to absorb what you were telling me.” Monique says plaintively. “First I find out that you had been lying to me, and that you have other relationships, and that you’re not just dating them, but you’re also having sex with them…” Monique takes a breath. “How else did you expect me to react?”

“Yeah, okay, I can understand why you were upset, but then you started bad mouthing me in school Monique. Calling me a lying cheating slut, and worse!… if I didn’t have friends that cared for me so much, do you know what that would have done to my reputation in school?!” I say bitterly. 

“I… I’m sorry. I was angry.” Monique says in apology. 

“It’s that temper of yours that I am most worried about Monique. I’m half surprised you didn’t just go and tell everyone in school that I’m trans just for spite.” I keep my upset tone. 

“I promised you I’d never tell anyone else, I wasn’t going to break that vow.” She says in her defense. 

I get up from my computer and sit on the very comfortable large couch. “So, what are you looking for darlin’?” I say without beating around the bush. 

“Can you give us another chance?” I can hear the plea in her tone. 

“Monique, you don’t like to share. I’m not going to deal with your jealousy every time I’m affectionate with someone else. I have a boyfriend that really doesn’t like you…” 

“I still can’t believe you have a boyfriend. I mean, he knows your trans, right?” Monique queries. 

“Yes dear, we’re sexually intimate. He’s the only one of my lovers who treats me like a woman, he doesn’t care about the cock your missing so much.” 

“I… you’re right, I miss holding you, kissing you.. I miss making love to you. You were the most amazing relationship I have ever had! How can you not see why I am missing you so much?” I can hear the sadness in her voice. 

“I’m going to have to talk to my relationship about this Monique, I can’t make this choice on my own.” I find myself having trouble saying no. 

“Why?” Monique says confused. 

“I have commitments now Monique. I can’t just decide alone how this can affect the other people I’m intimate with. I’m not just going to sleep around anymore. I made that mistake with you, and I don’t intend on hurting the people I care about again.” 

“I see.” She says sadly. “I suppose it’s too late to ask you out to the Harvest Dance..”

“I already have a date for the dance, yes. Two in fact - not counting the dances I owe Leilani and Travis over the course of the night.” 

“Oh.” She says and she’s quiet for a moment. 

“Monique, we can’t just go back to what we had before, it’s not going to work that way.” I say firmly. 

“Why not?” She says pleadingly. 

“I have…” I start. 

“Other commitments, yes… Just… I don’t want us to suddenly become strangers. I miss my girlfriend.” 

“You should have thought about that when you walked out on me and said we were done.” I say, fighting back the tears of the memory of that morning. 

“I guess I can’t take back those words.” She says sadly. 

“No, you can’t.” I say flatly. 

“Rose, don’t do this.” Monique says pleadingly. “Don’t shut me out, please, let me know there is still some hope for us.” I can hear her sniffle on the line, she’s crying. 

“I need some time to think about this.” I reply holding back the the pain that I know she’s crying. I just want to hold her and tell her everything is okay, but I know it’s not.

Monique takes a deep breath. “Okay.” 

“Good night Monique.” I say softly. 

“Good night Rose… I love you.” 

I hang up the line before I’m tempted to answer ‘I love you’ back to her. 


	45. Decisions

I lay on the couch for a moment crying. _Why does she have to do this to me? I thought we were done!_ …

I bring up my voice chat app, and ping my loves. I need someone else to hear this if I’m going to sleep tonight. 

Leilani is the first to respond from her phone. I figured she’d be in bed by now. I wait till the others join us. Soon, Travis, Cassandra join. 

“What’s up honey?” Travis says concerned. “Shouldn’t you be heading to bed?” 

“I can’t.” I say with a sniffle. “Monique called me tonight.” 

“Baby are you crying?” Leilani says sleepily.

I take a deep breath as Tina logs in.. “Maybe…” 

“What does she want?” Cassandra asks angrily. Neither her or Travis like Monique. 

“She wants me back.” I say sadly. 

“Who wants you back?” Tina says coming into the conversation late.

“Her ex.” Travis says bitterly. “The one who would want nothing more but to have Rose all to herself and no one else. She’s jealous, selfish and manipulative! Please Rose, don’t tell me you’re actually considering it…” 

“She says she still loves me and that she misses me, and that she wants another chance…” I say as tears run down my cheeks. “I can’t say no to her…” I sniffle. 

“You mean, after all that trash talk she’s going to try to smooze her way back into Rose’s life?” Tina says amazed. 

“And Rose still loves her, so she’s pulling at all the right strings.” Cassandra says annoyed. 

“Rose, don’t.” Leilani says. “I’m not going to bottle up my feelings for you for her sake, not again.” 

“I didn’t dare agree to anything tonight.” I say wiping my eyes. 

“Good.” Travis says. 

“I just needed your support, because I can’t face her on my own, I’m not strong enough to say no to her.” I say taking a deep breath.

“She still has that much control over Rose?” Tina says surprised. 

“She does. Monique was Rose’s first relationship, and first lover, she know all of Rose’s soft spots both physical and emotional.” Cassandra says. 

“And she always knows when to call Rose.” Travis grumbles. “Honey, you can’t trust her, you know what she’s going to do…” 

“I know. If it weren’t for you, Cassandra and Leilani, she would control my life.” I say sadly. “Which is why I needed to talk to you tonight. If I left my mind to stew over the call we just had, I would have given in. Part of me wants to give her another chance. But, I don’t want to hurt any of you in the process.” 

“Now that I finally have you in my life as more than a friend, I can’t let that go my love.” Cassndra says softly. “I refuse to let her take you from me.” 

“I love you all so much.” I say with a sniffle. “But I also still love her, I just….”

“No Rose, you can’t have both, you and I both know that.” Travis says softly, trying calm the constant tears running from my cheeks. “She’s not going to be happy sharing your heart with us.”

“I just wish I could find a way to make you all happy.” I say sadly. 

“Rose, I don’t like hearing you like this. I’m coming over.” Travis says firmly. 

“It’s late honey, you probably shouldn’t.” I start to object.

“I’m hanging up now, and I’m going to pick up the girls, we’ll see you soon.” He stays firm. I’m not about to object right now, I just want to hold someone. 

I get up and press the call button as I continue to talk to my girlfriends. I can hear Leilani getting dressed in the background. She’s not going to let me convince her to stay in bed. She mutes herself for a few moments while Cassandra continues to talk to me. Tina’s already gone off line, probably waiting for Travis to pick her up first. 

“Rose after all that she’s done to you this week, why call you now?” Cassandra says. 

“She doesn’t have a date for the dance Friday, she doesn’t want to go alone.” Leilani says as she comes back on the line. “I told my parents that you need me right now. Mama’s not happy, but she saw the worry on my face and agreed.”

“She did ask me if I have a date for the dance Friday.” I agree with Leilani. I’m starting to calm down. 

“You rang ma’am?” The small brunette Felice asks after knocking on my door.

“My friends are coming over soon, please see that you let them in?” I say. 

“Yes ma’am.” She says. “Are you okay?” she says seeing my tear streaked face.

“No, which is why they are coming over.” I say to her, another tear rolling down my cheek. 

“Very well, I’ll send them right up.” She curtsies and is gone. 

I take a deep breath. “I hear you’re mostly through your meltdown.” Cassandra says softly. 

“I still want you to hold me.” I say weakly. 

“We’ll be there soon.” Cassandra says. “Tina says they’re here already, be there soon.” 

Cassandra signs off as I hear Leilani go downstairs. “Don’t you let my boyfriend get caught for speeding.” I tell her. 

Leilani giggles. “Yeah, he is making record time.” She says I can see him coming up the street already. I’m going to stay on the line, okay?” 

“Okay. Thank you.” I say and sniffle. 

I can hear Leilani open and close the door, saying good bye to her parents. Then I hear her walking. “You are starting to calm down.” Leilani says, but we’ll be there soon okay?”

I hear the van roll up and the door open as she switches her phone to open speaker. The door closes beside her and I hear Tina’s voice beside her. 

“How are you holding up?” I can hear the concern on Tina’s voice. 

“Better.” I say with a weak smile. “You know, you really don’t need to drive all the way over here, I just wanted to hear your voices.” I say. 

“Nonsense, I want to be there for you when you need me.” Travis says. He’s never seen me have a this bad of a meltdown, I can hear the worry in his voice. 

“I’ve only seen her once this bad.” Cassandra says. “I know you think you’ll be okay my love, but you need a hug right now - desperately.” 

“Yes I do..” I says with a chuckle. 

They continue to keep my talking. I mute myself for a moment after finding a tissue and blow my nose. I was quiet too long and I unmute myself and tell them I’m fine, I just needed to clear my breathing. 25 minutes later, Leilani announces that she’s hanging up the line, that they’re pulling into the driveway. 

Not 5 minutes later, I hear them coming down the hall and open the door to let them into my room. Travis picks me up in a tight hug and carries me further into the room so the the girls can all surround me. 

The rest of my upset drains at this point as I feel the their love and their support. 

We just stand there quietly holding each other. As the rest of my emotions drain. Travis doesn’t let me go till the last of my tears have stopped and my breathing is back to normal. 

“I need to blow my nose.” I say quietly, and they let me go as Tina hands me a tissue. “Thank you, all of you.” I blow my nose. “You really didn’t need to come all the way out here.”

“Yes, we did.” Cassandra says. “We’ve never left you alone when you’ve had a meltdown before. There was no way that we were going to leave you alone now.”

“I guess you all have been there for at least one of my episodes, haven’t you?” I say taking a deep breath. 

“Travis in the park, Leilani at her place, Cassandra at her place, and Tina on the bus…” I say recalling all the times where they’ve been there for me at my weakest moments.

I go to my fridge, pull out a bottle of water and take a big drink from it. 

“Wow. That took a lot out of me.” I say blinking and taking another deep breath. “I’m sorry to drag you all out so late at night. Just.. After her call.. I needed you.” 

Cassandra comes up to me and gives me a soft loving kiss, and it feels just so good to be in her arms that I relax. When she lets go, Tina hands me another tissue and she keeps her arm around me as I blow my nose and toss the tissue away. 

Leilani draws me towards the bedroom, and we sit down on the cushions. I lean against Travis, Leilani and Tina snuggle into my sides, and Cassandra in my lap. We hold each other as I still work through the emotional turmoil of dealing with a love that I thought had left me. 

“What am I going to do about her?” I finally say in a quiet voice. 

Tina hands me the water bottle and I finish it off as Travis hugs me from behind. “I know what you want to do, but can you trust her?” 

“I don’t know.” I say honestly. “Part of my wants to say yes, but the other part doesn’t want to see any of you hurt.” 

“You think she would hurt us?” Tina says worried. 

“No, that’s not the way Monique works.” Cassandra says. “She’s manipulative, she’ll try to draw Rose away from us and monopolize her time - so that we won’t see her as much.”

“She failed last time.” Leilani says, cuddling into me. 

“Only cause she wasn’t prepared for the truth.” I say softly. “Now that she knows that you are involved…” 

“She’s going to be more cunning in how she deals with us.” Travis says. 

“I just don’t understand it.” I say taking a deep breath. “She angrily walked away crying, saying that we’re done, and told me to go back to Leilani.” I start. “And then she spends the week angry at me, spreading rumours, and trying to hurt me…” 

“Only they didn’t work.” Tina says. “You already had a strong friend base, she couldn’t hurt you the way she felt you hurt her.”

“So now that shes over the pain of what I did, she wants me back?” I say puzzled. “It makes not sense.” 

“Rose, once someone falls in love with you, it really is hard to let you go.” Cassandra comments. 

“She misses what you did for her when you were together.” Leilani adds. 

“Best lover I’ve ever had.” Tina says with dreamy smile.

“Exactly.” Travis says. “Rose wasn’t Monique’s first relationship, like you, she’s never had anyone that can satisfy her the way Rose can.” 

“Cassandra, the day she makes love to you, you’ll understand what it really means to be loved by Rose.” Tina snuggles into me more. 

“It gets better than this?” Cassandra says innocently. 

“Way better.” Leilani says in a seductive tone. 

“Cassandra, don’t feel swayed by them, we have plenty of time to take our relationship to the next level.” I remind her. “I will still love you dearly whether we make love or not.” 

I had felt Cassandra tense up and then she finally relaxes. “Okay.” 

“I’m going to need you with me when I talk to her next, I’m not strong enough to face Monique on my own.” I say wearily. 

Cassandra reaches up and caresses my cheek. “Of course my love.” 

“So many people look up to you for your strength and courage.” Tina looks at me. “And yet, you are just as fragile as the rest of us.” 

“This is a part of me I don’t like showing others.” I give her weak smile, and she reaches up and gives me a loving kiss. 

“That’s okay, I won’t tell anyone else.” She smiles. 

“Monique once told me that some of her jealousy stems from the fear of loosing me. She had never loved someone so much, and it scared her that something might happen.” I say leaning into Travis. 

“And yet, she was the one who walk away in the end.” Leilani comments. 

“Only to regret it later.” Cassandra grumbles. 

“She is not going to take me away from you Cassandra” I say giving me girlfriend a squeeze. “Our love has been, and always will be too strong for that.” 

Cassandra looks up at me. “So, you knew before we started dating?” She says with a touch of surprise. 

“Every morning you would complain that she was there, taking your place? Yes, I knew.” I smile. 

“Oh.” Cassandra says, turning and snuggling into me. “So, how is my jealousy any different than hers?” She asks looking up at me.

“You were only jealous of her, not of anyone else. She was the perceived threat to our happiness.” I smile, kissing her forehead.

“I know that feeling.” Travis grumbles. 

“This is why I told her I had to think about it.” I say. “I made the mistake with her of sleeping with others without her knowing. I hurt her, a lot, I could hear it in our call.” I take a deep breath. “I am not going to repeat the same mistake with any of you. I love you all so dearly. It’s why I’ve always been open and honest of what I’ve done. I will not willingly hurt any of you if I can avoid it. If any of you feel uneasy with this, I’ll just.. Find some way to tell Monique no - and hope it doesn’t hurt her further.”

“Well you already know my feelings on the matter.” Travis says without hesitation. 

“I’m not going to hide my feelings for you again.” Says Leilani. “If she can learn to share, then I can learn to forgive her… provided we have other dates like tonight.” She smiles.

“My only condition is that she’s last on the dating list.” Tina says. “Next movie night is mine there girlfriend.” She pokes Leilani who giggles. 

Cassandra is quiet for a moment. “You know I don’t trust her.” She looks up at me. “But I don’t see a way of you turning her down without hurting her more. As much as I want to agree with Travis, I know what it’s like to want you and how it feels to be held in your arms. I don’t want to take that feeling away from anyone - even if it’s Monique.”

“Okay.” I say thoughtfully. “So, maybe, on the condition that she learns to share…” I take a deep breath. “I might get her to turn away on her own accord in that case. She’s too jealously possessive. She once told me that, to see me with someone else, would break her heart - and that’s all she’s experienced this week. Looking at me loving others while she is now alone.” 

“Hence her desperate plea to take her back.” Tina says leaning against my shoulder. “But how much love will she want to keep her happy?” 

“I don’t know.” I say quietly. 

There is a knock on my door, I call out to enter, I’m way to cozy cuddled up to move. Beth comes into my room and is slightly surprised to see me cuddled up with my lovers. 

“Oh, you’re not alone.” She says surprised. “When did they get here?” 

“Sometime around 10?” Travis says. “Rose was upset with a call from Monique and needed a hug.” 

Beth smiles. “Well, that’s what I call one hell of a hug.” She looks at her phone. “So, you can probably guess who just called to ask me if she can work tomorrow.”

“Monique wants her job back so that she can see me in the morning.” I reply. 

“I knew there was a reason for her calling, she’s asked you to take her back, hasn’t she?” Beth asks 

“She did.” I says quietly.

“Which led to an emotional meltdown and the need for a hug.” Cassandra adds. 

“Oh, so that’s why your loves are here.” Beth says catching on. 

“I wouldn’t have been able to face her tomorrow without the support of my loved ones.” I profess. 

“So I should call her back and say that she’s back at the café on a trial basis - provided it doesn’t upset the staff and customers?” 

“That would be nice of you, thank you.” I smile. 

“Okay, I’ll call her then, and you’re friends should get going, we’ll be up early.” She says in a motherly tone. 

They each look at me, they don’t need to say anything, I can see the want in their eyes. 

“Umm.. Can they stay for the night?” I ask. 

Beth turns around. “All of them?” she says surprised.

“We can call it a slumber party.” Cassandra smiles. 

Beth looks like she’s about to argue, I give her a pleading look, she finally sighs. “Okay, but no funny stuff you guys, or I will send you all home.” 

“Thank you.” We all say together. 

Beth puts up a finger, but merely shakes her head. “The way you are all on one wave length sometimes frightens me.” 

“What’s wrong with a hive mind?” I say teasingly causing my friends to giggle. 

“Because, with your charisma little sister, I can only imagine what you all can get into, once you put your minds to it.” Beth says with an exaggerated tone. 

We all grin and she merely shakes her head. “I rest my case, well, I’ll call Monique then, lets see how tomorrow pans out.” She sighs, and starts dialing up Monique as she walks out of the room. 

“Do you think our parents will agree with this?” Leilani says worried. 

“Tell them that Travis is too tired to drive home, there are plenty of beds in this house to sleep in.” I smile.

“That’s a great idea.” Tina says as she lets go of me, gets up from the cushions and starts calling her parents. 

Half and hour later, we’re all settling together on my very comfortable king size bed. Travis doesn’t seem to mind wearing my pajama bottoms, and the girls are dressed in various over-sized tops. I have Travis and Leilani on one side of me, Tina on the other, and Cassandra opted to sleep in the middle - on top of me. She’s lighter than the rest, and her laying on my stomach actually feels very nice right now. The issue with Monique has us both wanting to comfort one another. Of course, she’s using my breasts as a pillow. 

Surprisingly enough, none of my lovers try to start up any sex play tonight. I am actually glad for once. With the emotional drain that I had, I’m no in the mood for anything more than cuddling. We lay there talking about anything that comes to mind, mostly about our up coming game tomorrow. Eventually we drift off to sleep in each other’s arms. For the first time in many nights I sleep peacefully. 


	46. Wild Wednesday

I wake up to a song about Everywhere. It takes me a moment to realize why I can’ t move. I reach over for my phone and manage to turn it off. In the dimness of the setting moonlight I can see why I can’t move.

I have Tina using my right bicep as a pillow. My left arm is trapped under Travis, and my hand is wrapping around Leilani’s back. My lovers are spooned up against me as I lay on my back. I look down to see Cassandra’s black head comfortably snuggled between my breasts as she nuzzles against my left breast. I swear, my girlfriend loves my breasts more than I do!

With some effort I free my arms from my lovers, they mumble and turn around grabbing pillows to compensate for the lack of body warmth. The hard part is slowly sliding myself out from under Cassandra. Fortunately, my girlfriend is a heavy sleeper. Once I can get her my down to my lap, I then pick her up and shuffle her up beside Tina. 

I slide off the bottom of the bed and head into the closet to get my clothes for the day, closing the slat door before turning on the light. I get my 2nd set of work clothes, turn off the light and then go to the bathroom.   
I do a quick wash of my face, seeing as it’s still stained and smeared from last night’s crying. I put on my top while going pee, and slide on my socks before getting off the toilet. I have my bottoms on and getting yesterday’s dirty work clothes out of my bag when there is a soft knock on the door. 

“Are you the only one awake?” Beth says in a soft voice, noting that the partition to the bedroom is closed. 

“Yes, can I come back here after work? To make sure everyone’s awake and gets to school?” 

“Sure, Beth smiles. “You were all really quiet last night.” 

“I was emotionally drained, I wouldn’t have been very fun in bed last night.” I say quietly. “I’m just glad they recognized it.” 

Beth smiles shaking her head. “The relationship you all have together is amazing, you know that?”   
“We work off each other’s love to reach happiness.” I smile. 

“Okay, I can believe that, but there’s something else.” Beth says thoughtful. “Well, lets get you fed, you’re probably hungry.” 

“Starved.” I grin. “Let me just leave them a note in case one of them wakes before I get home.”

“Okay.” She smiles. “See you downstairs.”

I leave a note for my lovers: _Will be home after work, wait for me and we’ll have breakfast together._ I paste it on the partition door, and close it.

I head down to find Beth eating a plate of eggs and bacon, there’s a plate beside hers for me. 

“Can we ask Pierre to make waffles for my friends and I?” I inquire as I sit down and eat with Beth. There is also a pitcher of orange juice on the table. 

I take the small pill container out of my pocket. I swallow the Androcur and Aspirin pills and then let the Estrace disolve under my tongue. Beth watches me for a moment. 

“This is the first time I’ve ever seen you take your pills.” She comments. 

“I keep them in the bathroom, but didn’t want to wake anyone with running the tap, so I brought my dose down with me.” I say trying to keep the pill under my tongue. “This is actually only half of it. I take the other half before bed. My endo suggested I space out my dosages for a more uniform hormone release.” 

“I’ve seen pictures of you before your transition. I still can’t believe the change in you.” Beth says in mild amazement. “You and your brother could be mistaken for twins.” 

“Even more so than before, yes, thanks.” I smile, and focus on finishing off my breakfast. 

I look up at the cloud cover as we’re heading out for work and sniff at the air.

“What are you doing” Beth looks at me puzzled. 

“The clouds carry rain, but there’s no ozone in the air” I look around. “With the wind blowing out to sea, I doubt it’ll rain today - which also means it won’t rain in Twinbrooks when we play them this afternoon.” I smile. Beth looks at me blankly. “Llama scouts was good for something, it taught me how to track the weather.” I grin. 

Beth smiles and shakes her head. “You are full of wonder and surprises.” 

“That would be the bard part of me that Dave keeps talking about.” I give a disarming smile.

“Right.” Beth gives me a smile. “I’ll figure out what that means some day.” She says as she gets in her car. 

I get into the passenger side and wait for her to turn around.

“Okay, so there is this character class in D&D called the Bard. Leaning on old world roles, the bard is a lore keeper, story teller, musician, artisan, and pretty much jack-of-all-trades by the types of skills they can use. Bards are charismatic, they have access to abilities and spells that can influence peoples thoughts and emotions, as well as illusions.” I look over and Beth is nodding. “So, my abilities as a bard…” 

“Pretty much covers that. You are a living role playing character that can do almost anything.” Beth finishes. 

“Exactly.” I smile. 

Beth shakes her head. “With everything that was thrown at you in life, I’m surprised you’ve remained sane all these years.” 

“Sanity is highly overrated.” I roll my eyes. 

Beth laughs. “There’s the mature woman coming out.” She smiles. “So, your an artist, musically inclined, you pick up songs by ear, you’re skilled with your hands, you’re intelligent, charismatic, strong, dexterous, you have survival skills, a born leader, and are really good at influencing people. There are times I wonder if you’re super human!” Beth exaggerates. 

“I have crappy short term memory and use sugar on a different level than neurotypical people.” I comment. 

“Oh, I also forgot to add that you know this town better than some people who have lived here all their lives, you’re ability to read a map and know where everything is visually is unbelievable.” Beth continues. 

“I don’t like getting lost. Maps are another form of art.” I smile. 

“Okay, here’s a test.” Beth says. “How long does it take to get from here to Twinbrooks?” 

“At most, 45 minutes by car.” I reply without hesitation. 

“And if you cycled?” Beth continues. 

“Following the shore road to stay off the major highway?” I think for a bit. “2-3 hours depending on the weather.” 

“How much of the country is mapped in that amazing mind of yours Rose?” Beth gets curious. 

“Almost everything from Britechester to the city and down to the south coast. Give or take a few streets that I haven’t looked at yet.” I say without hesitation. “Oh, and I know the isles of Sunlani and Windenburg really well since I’ve done projects on those two locations this past month.”

Beth whistles. “You are like a living encyclopedia.” 

“My parents would get National Geographic magazines every month, I would pour over them, and then dig deeper on subjects that interested me. Which led me to learning Italian after reading several different cultural and historical articles.” 

“How many languages to you know Rose?” Beth says now curious. 

“Four: Simlish, French, Italian, Elvish, and I’m trying to learn Sulani since I got curious about their culture and history.” I reply. 

“Elvish?” Beth says confused.

“I’m a geek okay. I got really involved with Lord of the Rings growing up. A lot of the games I play, I find elves as my preferred race. So I use the Ambar Eldaron to use words and references from the book.” 

“Ambar Eldaron?” Beth frowns.

“The Book of Words - or dictionary by modern terms. There are dictionaries, and even translators online. There are entire groups of linguists that pour over the books and manuscripts that were written - as the author had made it a living language that we can use, and maybe even evolve to modern terms.” I say excitedly. 

“Okay, you are a huge geek when you start on stuff like this.” Beth shakes her head and I merely giggle. 

“The Refuge Online is the first game I’ve played where the developers haven’t just tried to make up their own language. It makes conversation in the game fun!” I say my excitement not abating. 

Beth smiles as she pulls up beside the bakery. She hands me the keys. “You open up while I get some trays next door.”

“Okay.” I smile. I grab my bag, and we go to separate doors as she heads into the bakery and I open up the coffee shop. 

I smell her perfume as she approaches and wonder what she will do. I wait for a moment, when hands suddenly cover my eyes. “Guess who?” 

“Good morning Monique.” I smile, and turn to face her. 

The motion leaves her arms around my neck, and she hangs off of me. “You always know it’s me.” She pouts. 

“Your perfume and Lilac body soap are unmistakable.” I smile. “And like I told you yesterday, after our time together, I will always recognize your touch from someone else’s.”

“Oh.”, she says, playing with the back of my neck with a thumb. “Have you decided on what I asked you last night?” 

“The answer is yes, I’ll give us another chance.” Her face lights up. “Provided that you recognize that you are not the only one I love in my life.” She looks thoughtful for a moment. 

“Does that mean I can have a good morning kiss from my girlfriend?” she says in a suggestive tone. My smile is all she needs as an answer and she pulls me down to kiss me. 

I put my arms around her as our lips lock and it feels so good kissing her again. She pulls herself closer, whimpers, and melts into my arms as our kiss deepens. 

“Okay, enough with the make-up kiss. I thought you were supposed to open the café?” Beth’s slight annoyed voice comments from beside us. 

“Sorry.” Monique blushes and moves aside as I finish opening the door and let Beth in. 

I usher Monique in as I take the keys out of the door. She’s turning on the lights as I head for the office to place my bag, leaving Beth’s keys on her desk. I already have my hat and apron on, I put them on in the car. 

I come out as Monique is starting up the pots, and I get the Espresso machine started to build it up to temperature. I feel Monique’s hand caress my rump as she goes to wipe down the counters. This is why she wanted to know if we’d date again, she wants her affectionate touching while we work. 

“Let me fix your hair.” Monique says from behind me. She takes the elastic out of my hair and I can feel her fingers comb through my curls. It’s long enough now to make a small braid, and I stand there as she happily braids my hair. I hand her back the elastic when she’s done. “There. Better.” 

She stands on her toes to kiss my neck. I turn around and give her a kiss before she has her feet back down. And she puts her arms around me. 

“I missed this.” She says as her fingers play along my neck. 

“Keep that up and I’m going to be a horrible flirt all day.” I say as she hits one of my sensitive spots and I sigh. 

Beth clears her throat and Monique lets me go. I take the chance to go and to put the sandwich board out. I grab a rag and the chalk on my way out. I noted a new pastry as I passed the display case. I take a few moments to touch up and update the board as Chuck comes up behind me. 

“Coffee ready yet Rose?” he asks. 

“Just about, what are you doing up so early?” I smile. 

“Well, I was doing my morning run, and saw you come out of the café.” He smiles. 

“Come on in, what do you fancy?” I say opening the door and we talk as we go back to the counter. 

“Are you serving pumpkin spice lattés yet?” He probes. “Those are so delicious.”

“Just added it to the board this morning. Coming right up!” I smile. As I go around the counter. “Sit down and I’ll call you when it’s ready.” 

I can see Monique eyeing him as I start preparing his drink. “Down girl.” I whisper. “He’s Chloe’s boyfriend, we sit together at lunch, that’s all.” 

She gives my rump a pat and goes back to washing down the outside of the display case. 

“Here you go chuck.” I smile and he gets up to pay for his drink. 

“You made a soccer ball in the foam. That’s pretty cool!” he smiles. “Thanks!” he leaves me a tip and then heads over closer to the window and checks his phone while he drinks his beverage. 

I get Beth’s coffee next. She left her mug by the coffee pot, it’s obvious that she is looking for my special touch this morning. I bring her mug into the office as Beth is looking over order invoices. She has that look on her face that she gets when she’s trying to figure out if we’re missing anything. 

“Here you go.” I say softly. 

Beth looks up and smiles. She takes a sip of the coffee. “Hmmm.. I don’t know what you do to my coffee sister, but it tastes so refreshing.” She sighs. “So, do you think Monique is going to work out?” She asks as we see my girlfriend washing a table through the open office door. 

“Well, she’s gotten back into the job without any hesitation.” I say. “And she’s not too overly affectionate.” I glance out the door. “Though, now that she knows I like boys she might be a bit of a challenge when it comes to William, who comes in every morning and flirts with me.” 

“Oh?” Beth asks as she savors another sip of coffee. 

“She didn’t like that Chuck was friendly with me this morning.” And he’s just a friend who I sit with at lunch time. He’s dating Chloe and there’s nothing between us.”

Beth sighs. “Okay, well, lets see how today goes then.” She says in a half smile. 

“So where do you go after work?” Monique asks when we have a moment after a few customers come through. 

“I usually go to Leilani’s place, wake her up, have breakfast with her family and then walk to school with my girlfriends and Alexander. Today I’m going home first, I have things I need to take care of.” 

I’m not going to tell her that all my lovers are at my house right now and I need to go wake them up so that we can have breakfast together.

“Oh.” Monique says as she puts her head down. The reminder that I spend my mornings with my girlfriends takes the smile out of her face. “Alexander?” she asks as she serves the next person. 

“Yeah, Cass’ brother, they have about the same age difference as Dave and I. He’s been enjoying that he can walk with us to school.” I chuckle. “He’s grown rather attached to me lately.” 

“You do love children, don’t you?” Monique gives me an affectionate smile. 

“I got used to being the babysitter when my cousins were around.” I smile at the happy memories as I serve Mr. Smith before he opens the sports shop for the day. “You could almost say I was raised to be a parent.” I chuckle. “Besides, Alexander has gotten so much better at the piano since I’ve encouraged him to play.” I smile. 

“So.. You don’t have access to the house you were living in anymore, do you?” Monique hedges. 

“Nope, gave the keys back to Mom and the house is now vacant. None of my stuff is there anymore.” 

“Mom?” Monique looks at me confused. 

“Beth’s mother. With their wedding coming up the summer after I graduate, she’s effectively my mother-in-law, so she’s asked that I call her Mom. I don’t mind, it reminds me that I have a new home here in Willow Creek.”

“You really like it here, don’t you?” Monique asks. 

“I feel like I finally belong someplace. It’s nice no longer being the outsider.” I smile. 

“So what is it like living with Beth’s family?” Monique asks as she serves a tray of coffees to the work crew down the road. 

“At first I thought I wouldn’t like it, being farther away from my friends. I’m on the edge of town, and it’s a 25 to 30 minute drive in to get anywhere. But the suite I now live in is absolutely gorgeous! I feel like I’m now being pampered compared to the life I had before.” I smile. 

“Suite? It’s not just a bedroom?” Monique says confused. 

“No, it’s got it’s own living room, bathroom, walk-in closet… Here.” We take a moment between customers as I show her the pictures I took on my phone. 

“Wow!” she says as she serves Mr. Miller. “That’s amazing!” 

“I know, right?!” I say excitedly. 

“Will I ever get to see your room?” Monique says suggestively. 

“I’m still trying to sort out my schedule of what I do outside of the house. Maybe after the dance.” I offer. 

“Okay.” She smiles 

The rest of the shift goes by well enough. Beth waits till Lisa and the new girl Amelia come in before we head out. She tells Lisa she’ll be back in an hour, she’s just bringing me home. Monique, of course, wants a good bye kiss. Beth waits while she gives me a loving kiss before we get into her car. 

“Wow. It’s like last week didn’t happen with her.” Beth says as she watches Monique get into her father’s car in her rear-view mirror. 

“I know.” I frown. “I just hope she really is prepared to face the changes I’ve made in my life since we’ve been apart. I’m worried she’s not going to appreciate how limited our time is going to be together.”

“She’s the bottom rung, isn’t she? Even Tina comes before her?” Beth comments catching on. 

“Exactly.” I say with a grim smile. “She’s not going to like that.”

We spend the rest of the trip back home talking about my game this afternoon. We’re playing against Twinbrooks today, so it’ll be a closer trip. I was actually surprised that Monique never mentioned today game to me. I’m guessing she doesn’t want to risk asking Travis for a drive. 


	47. Wednesday Morning

I get up and head to my room. The partition is still closed. I gently open it and see my friends still asleep in my bed. They all look so beautifully cozy, it’s almost a shame to have to wake them up. 

I decide to start with Tina, in case she wants to do some exercises and stretching. She’s also facing the windows and easiest to reach. I move her wavy brown hair out of the way and kiss her forehead. She mumbles. I decide to do what I did Sunday and start kissing her exposed shoulder and work down to her neck. I reach the crook of her neck when I hear her breathing change and she reaches out to me and moans softly. 

“I love the way you wake someone up.” She says in a seductively sleepy tone. 

I look back in her eyes and she’s smiling. “Good morning my love, sleep well?” 

“You are very comfortable to snuggle up to.” She smiles. “Good morning.” She takes a deep breath and her expression changes. “You smell like coffee.” 

I giggle. “I just got back from work dear, I usually do.” 

“We can’t have that now can we?” She says as she slides her legs out and sits up on the bed. She reaches her hand out, I stand up, and I take it to allow her to pull herself out of the bed, and into my arms. 

“You.” She says in a suggestive tone. “Need a shower.” 

“I still need to wake the others.” I say as she starts leading me to the bathroom.

“They can wait.” She says with a coy smile. I have a feeling I’m going to enjoy this shower. 

We get into the bathroom and Tina starts to undress me, kissing my body as she goes. Wow, does she really know how to turn me on! Her strong yet gentle touch has me hard by the time she reaches my pants. 

“There you are.” She smiles at my hard-on. “When you said that you had one of these, I never thought it would be the best cock I’ve ever had…” she coos and gives it a few kisses to make sure I’m good and hard for what she has planned in mind. 

Tina stands up and slides out of her night shirt, and then pulls me by my hard-on into the shower stall. She keeps the shower head away from us while she adjusts the temperature and then puts the head on a pulse setting. _Oh wow. This feels so good_ , as she pulls me into the shower stream, reaches for my body soap and starts washing me down. 

I moan and gasp as she expertly washes me while keeping me aroused. Her touch is very erotic, and we kiss as her hands roam my body. I am so ready for what she has planned. 

“I want it facing you. She says in a soft sultry tone, I can imagine she’s as turned on as I am right now. 

I pick her up and she wraps her legs around me. She reaches between us, and guides my hard-on to her entrance as she slides down my body. _Wow, is she ever turned on this morning!_ I slide effortlessly into her hot sex and she moans and sighs as I penetrate her folds, finding her hole. We passionately kiss as I hold her bottom. She’s sliding up and down my body, causing our breasts to rub against each other. We start a slow passionate love making session, between the hot water, and her hot sex, it doesn’t take long for my first orgasm to hit me. She leans back and moans as I empty my load into her. She quickens her pace at that point so that she can get off. A small voice in the back of my mind is hoping we’re not making too much noise… but I’m too much into making love to my girlfriend to care at this moment.

I move and press her against the wet tile wall, and really start pushing into her and she gasps and moans louder. I can see she’s trying to stifle her reactions. She goes back to kissing me again as her moans increase, I can feel her vagina tightening and I start thrusting harder into her, that does the trick, she suddenly bites down on my shoulder as her orgasm hits so that she doesn’t cry out her release. Only Tina won’t let go! She keeps going, I’ve counted that she’s had at least 3 orgasms and my second is not far behind, and she still won’t release me. So, I empty my second load into her and she moans loudly and stiffens before finally relaxing. 

That second release was too much for me, my knees buckle and I lean on her as we slide down the wall. We sit there still in each others arms, breathing heavily. 

“That was better than Monday.” She coos as she nuzzles my neck. “Thank you.” 

“You kept going till I got off a second time.” I say breathlessly. 

“It feels so much better when we cum together, that last orgasm was amazing!.” She says kissing my neck. 

“I think you’re spoiled.” I tease her. 

“She smiles and looks at me. “You bet I am.” She says with a coy smile. “You are an amazing lover. Who thought I’d find the most satisfying sex from a girl.” She giggles. 

“You’re too cute.” I smile and kiss her softly. “Lets get up, we need to wake others and eat breakfast before we’re late. You still need to go home, change and get your soccer gear.” 

Tina sighs. “Just once I wish I could have you all to myself for a day.” 

“Maybe next weekend.” I say as I work at getting myself on my feet and turning the water off. I open the shower door and grab two towels and we dry off in the remaining heat of the shower. I’m still toweling my hair when I go to wake up Leilani next. 

Leilani is facing the walk in closet, good, she’s rolled over. I lean down and give her a kiss. The second kiss I hear her breathing change and she reaches out for me to pull me in closer for a deeper embrace. She finally lets me go and frowns. 

“Your hair is wet, did you already take a shower without me?” she says sleepily. 

“Yes my love, sorry.” I say apologetically. 

“I was hoping to try out your bathroom.” She grumbles. 

“It’s almost 8, we don’t have time for a shower darlin’.” I say with a sympathetic tone. “It’s a half hour drive back to town and you still need to change.” 

Leilani sighs, and rubs her eyes. “Okay…” she says sadly. 

“You wake Travis, while I try to wake sleeping beauty here, I can’t believe how soundly she sleeps.” I say as I move around to reach Cassandra. 

I get on the bed, and caress my girlfriend’s cheek, she mumbles. Good, she’s wakeful. I reach down and give her forehead a kiss, and her breathing changes. I reach down and give her a soft kiss. By the 2nd kiss she’s returning my affections. 

“Now I know what Leilani means by being woken with a kiss.” Cassandra smiles sleepily, reaching up to pull me closer. 

We kiss for a moment while I hear Travis waking beside us, I glance over and Leialni found a way to wake him up - by taking care of his morning wood. I continue to kiss Cassandra so that she doesn’t see what they are up to and pick her up so that she’s facing me, away from them. Cassandra wraps her legs around me as we continue to passionately kiss while I’m kneeling on the bed. I glance over from time to time, and get up form the bed when my lovers are finally done satisfying one another. 

Cassandra giggles as I carry her into the closet so that she can put the clothes on that she had neatly folded on a shelf. 

“So, what’s the plan for today?” Cassandra asks as I get dressed beside her. I had slipped my panties on before coming to the bed. 

“School, then soccer, and hopefully dinner at the Apple Barrel again, Twinbrooks has this really good family diner, you’re going to love the food there.” I smile. 

“Good thing you have two toilets.” Cassandra says as she hears both flush after my lovers went to the bathroom.” 

Soon Leilani is padding into the closet looking for her clothes, with Travis behind her. She hands him his clothes and pushes him out the door to get dressed. 

“I’ve seen you naked, but Cass hasn’t, change out there.” She commands and closes the closet door. I giggle at her antics.

Cassandra and I are finished getting dressed, and I’m packing my soccer outfit for the game this afternoon. 

“We’ll have breakfast and then Travis will drive you all home. I’ll stay with Leilani and hopefully we’ll have enough time to walk to school.” 

“Sounds good.” Cassandra says. 

Travis knocks on the slat door. “You all decent in here?” he asks. 

“Yes dear.” Leilani and I say together, leaving Cass giggling. 

“How about I drop you all off, and then come back and get you after I’ve changed. I need the van to get the others out to Twinbrooks, so this way no one’s late.”

“That’s so sweet of you love, thank you.” Leilani says with a smile. 

We gather our things. Tina is in the lounge area playing on her phone while we got dressed. She’s fully dressed and ready to go for the day. We head down together, Elise meets us at the bottom of the stairs. 

“Oh, I was just about to come up and fetch you.” She curtsey’s “Breakfast is on the table and condiments are in the middle, if you need anything, just ring.” She smiles and heads off towards the kitchen. 

“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to how spoiled you are now.” Travis smiles as he cups my butt. 

“Hush you.” I say playfully and we turn to head into the dining room. 

There are two waffles each, and a plate with bacon and sausages in the middle. Beside the plates is an assortment of jams, yogurt, syrup, and berries. Two jugs are at either end, one juice, the other milk. 

“Wow.” Tina says looking at the spread. “I could get used to breakfast like this!” she grins and sits down across from me beside Travis. I have Leilani and Cassandra on either side of me, just like at lunch time. 

We dig into breakfast as we excitedly talk about the upcoming game. Tina, Travis and I are debating if the girls team has the same defensive strategy as the boys team does, meaning we have an advantage of how to deal with them.

“You know, this is the first time since I started playing soccer that I’ve seen the boys and girls share tactics for our school. The other schools are going to start to be envious of our combined strategies.” Tina smiles as she eats her waffles. 

“Well, if we can win pennants for both boys and girls teams this year, then I definitely will be helping the guys win.” I reply. 

“So that’s why you’ve been sharing all or our plans with Trent?” Tina says catching on. 

“Talking sports keeps Trent from flirting with me as much, it was sort of necessary.” I comment. 

“Is he really that bad of a flirt?” Cassandra asks. 

“Before I got him dating Zoe, yes. He’s tried to kiss me on more than one occasion, his parents would love to see us dating, and so my slip up this weekend was like waving a green flag to a racer. Now he’s back to his old mannerisms - if not a bit more so.” I say to her.

“Is he going to be a problem?” Travis says concerned. 

“He’s like a big cuddly bear, don’t worry about Trent love, he’s still saving himself for Zoe. So as long as they’re not sexually active, nothings going to happen with us.”

“And when they do?” Cassandra asks. 

“Then we’ll have to review our dating options. Till then, I don’t mind their courting, it’s kind of cute actually.” I smile. 

“Okay, that I can agree on.” Tina smiles. “They always have this ‘can I please?’ look of want on their faces when they ask for a kiss, it’s adorable.” 

“You and your puppies…” Cassandra chuckles and shakes her head.

“I rather like being a puppy.” Tina grins as she pops some bacon in her mouth. 

Travis gets curious and leans over. “You smell like strawberries.”

“I’m pretty sure we all smell like Rose this morning, having slept in the bed with her.” Cassandra replies.   
Leilani looks at Tina. “You showered with Rose this morning, that’s why it was almost 8 when she finally woke us up!”

I blush, but Tina is not fazed. “Rose smelt like coffee beans this morning and I got all the hard to reach spots.” 

“And so did she from the blushing on her face.” Travis comes back. 

“No fair, you got shower fun this morning.” Leilani pouts. 

Cassandra looks at the interaction as she munches on some bacon. “I take it the shower fun isn’t just washing each other down…” she says in an innocent voice.

“Well, it starts with that.” Tina says in a sultry tone. “But I can’t give Rose a massage without getting turned on. Her skin is so soft, yet her muscles are so hard…” 

“So I’m not the only one then.” Leilani says admittingly. 

Cassandra is beet red at this point. I watch her and wonder what it will take to break through that timid exterior of hers and open the woman inside of her… The occasional glimpses I see, she’s going to be a lot to handle. 

“Oh.” Tina says suddenly remembering something. “How did it go with Monique this morning?” she asks as she cuts into her waffles. 

“When she asked if I was going to give us another chance and I said yes, she gave me a passionate kiss. The rest of the shift, she was back to her touchy flirty self as if last week never happened.” I say with a frown munching on my waffle.

“She’s not going to expect a ride to the game tonight, is she?” Travis says wearily. 

“She didn’t mention this afternoon’s game, so I hope she won’t.” I continue to frown. 

“She’s not just going to expect me to step aside and have you ignore me is she?” Leilani says leaning into me, I can hear the worry in her question. “After what we’ve experienced together, I’m not bottling up my feelings for you. Not again.”

“I will let you know now. All of you here will come before Monique does. She hurt me once, I can’t trust her any more than she trusts me. So, I will be keeping my returning girlfriend at arms length while I figure out what she’s really up to.” I say to the table. 

“I’d say she wants a date for the dance.” Tina says. 

“Which isn’t going to happen, she’s already taking me and you.” Cassandra replies. 

“Maybe she didn’t have a better alternative to Prom?” Leilani says. 

“Prom’s a long ways away, no she’s up to something.” I say shaking my head. “I just need to figure out what it is. - preferably before the end of this week - just in case what Cassandra is fearing might happen.”

“Cause next week she’ll be ovulating?” Tina asks. 

“Exactly. As much as I want children in my life, I don’t want her trapping me in a life I don’t want.” I say with a frown. Cassandra puts her hand on mine, and I smile. “There is a future for us here at this table together. She’s not part of my plans.” Cassandra smiles and squeezes my hand in thanks. 

“She never was.” Leilani says remembering on the first time I admitted to her that I could see us together, as a family.

“And you don’t think she just misses you?” Cassandra says looking on the other side of the situation.” 

“Best sex I’ve ever had, she might have a point there Rose.” Tina says scooping up some yogurt.

I poke at my plate thoughtfully. “I don’t know anymore.” I sigh. “I’m just afraid she’s planning something.” I take a bite. “Most of all I’m worried about her jealous streaks.”

“I guess we just have to wait and see about that.” Travis says finishing off his plate. He looks at his phone. “We better get going if you all want to have time to change and get to school on time.” 

We quickly finish off breakfast and head out.. I grab my bags. I’m the only one dressed and ready for the day. 

“Tell Pierre it was a marvelous breakfast, and thank you.” I say to Barnes as he holds the door while we’re leaving. 

“I shall convey your message.” He smiles. 

We get into the van with Cassandra beside Travis, and Leilani managed to snag the seat beside me, leaving Tina to sit in the back. 

“Rose, can I ask a favor?” Travis says as we start heading out on the road. 

“What is it sweetheart?” I say sweetly. 

“Can you just, well, stay with me and that way we can talk?” He says as we push the speed limit to give everyone more time.

I look at Leilani and she nods. “Sure honey.” 

“Thanks.” He smiles. 

The first class is Math today, so Cassandra starts on the subject of getting ready for Friday’s test. We’re all hoping for a study period to that we can work together on crunching for the test. Leilani is the most worried about some of the new equations that we’ve learned so far, and wants to work on getting them down pat.


	48. Wednesday at School & More

First one to be dropped off is Leilani. She gives me a long loving kiss, and then gets out the drivers side so that she can kiss Travis. 

“See you soon.” He smiles and she grins and hops off to her house. 

Next to be dropped off is Cassandra, and I get out of the car and kiss her so that I can sit were she was. 

“See you soon.” She says breathlessly after a deep loving kiss. 

We swing around to Travis’ neighbourhood and drop off Tina. My girlfriend gives me a deep soulful kiss before leaving me. 

“See you in 10.” I tell her, and she nods before giving me a quick kiss and leaving. 

Now that we’re finally alone. “You had sex with Tina in the shower this morning…” Travis says quietly. 

“Sorry, when Tina’s horny she’s really hard to say no to.” I blush. 

“Okay, so, she’s the aggressor in your relationship, much like Monique was.” Travis says as we pull up to his house. 

“What are you implying dear?” I frown. 

“I just hope she’s not going to take you away from me.” Travis says worried. 

“Travis honey, you are the first, and only man I love. No one’s going to take that away from you.” I say softly and lean against him. 

Travis turns and gives me the kiss I’m looking for. After a few moments, he finally breaks the embrace. “Okay. I feel better now.” He smiles, and we get out of the van. 

Liz is at the door to greet us. “So, I hope you behaved while you were out last night?” 

“Yes mom.” Travis says.

“He was a perfect gentleman Liz, he even accepted to wear my pajama bottoms so he wouldn’t be in just his undies.” I say with a smile. 

“Good, so you can go off with your girlfriend for more than sex then?” Liz says in a teasing tone. 

“Mom, please…” Travis sighs. 

“We don’t have much time Liz, Travis needs to change, and then we’re going to pick up the girls, we shouldn’t be more than 5 minutes.” I say pushing Travis forward. 

“What about breakfast?” She calls as I’m pushing my boyfriend up the stairs. 

“We had waffles at my place before we left, he just needs a change of clothes is all…” I lift his arm and make a sour face. “And maybe a quick sponge bath. Honey, Phew!” 

Liz laughs as Travis blushes, and leaves us to do our thing. 

“You have the strangest ways of getting rid of my mother.” Travis shakes his head, doing what I suggested by taking off his top and wiping his torso with a soapy cloth. 

“It worked.” I grin, causing him to laugh some more as he puts on some of that alluring deodorant that he switched to. The bar didn’t smell like much when I handed it to him. But on him, _hmmm.. Sexy_. 

I sit on his bed as he hunts for clean clothes. “So, did you like your wake up this morning?” I tease him.

“At first I thought it was you, but when I felt leilani’s head, it almost surprised me!” he says in a surprised tone.

“Didn’t stop you from getting off.” I tease him. 

“Oh, please, she’s as good at a blowjob as you are.” He says in amazement. 

“She gets lots of practice.” I say suggestively. 

He looks at me, then down at my crotch. “I’m still getting used to the idea that my girlfriend is better at bedding women than I am.” He says shaking his head before pulling on a clean pair of underwear. 

“I don’t know about better…” I say thoughtfully. “I’ve never had a man please me the way you do.” I offer him some comfort. 

“Really?” he says pulling on jeans. “Not even that guy up north, what was his name? Lee?”

“Nope, Lee was good in bed, but didn’t curl my toes and give me the loving you do.” I smile. “You’re the only one who’s done that for me.” 

“Then there’s hope for me yet.” Travis smiles and gives me a kiss before grabbing the Atari T-shirt I had given him. 

“Definitely.” I grin and he just shakes his head as he gathers his books and stuffs them in his backpack. 

“Besides, I was keeping Cassandra distracted from seeing what you two were up to. I’m sure that would have really changed things if she had.” 

He’s turning to grab his jacket, I pick up his backpack in one hand, and take his hand with the other. “I hadn’t thought of that.” He says surprised. “You know, it’s the gentleman who carries the bag.” He says wanting his backpack back.

“No, it’s the gentleman who carries his lady’s bag. This is your backpack, I’m allowed to reverse the roles.” I tease him and he shakes his head. 

“I’m not the one who leads our relationship am I?” He says as we head down the stairs.

“Nope, but I still love you just as much.” I say and give him a kiss on the nose as we hit the bottom stair. 

“Bye mom!” Travis yells as we head out. “See you tonight after supper!” 

“Bye Travis, Bye Rose. Drive safe now!” 

I put Travis’s bag between us, and then we head back to pick up Tina. My girlfriend drops her bags in the trunk before jumping into the seat behind Travis, reaching over and giving me a kiss. 

“So..” Tina starts as we go to pick up Cassandra. “You were intimate with Monique?” 

“She was my first lover.” I say without hesitation. 

“So, how do I compare to her?” Tina says curiously. 

“Well.. She’s better at pleasing my chest, but you.” I turn around to look at her. “My hot little vixen - are way better in bed.” I say to her without hesitation. 

“So no competition then.” Tina says with a smug smile. 

“Definitely no competition there.” I smile back to her. 

Travis smiles and shakes his head as Cassandra and Alexander come out to greet us. She surprisingly doesn’t seem offended that I haven’t moved form the passenger seat. She happily settles in beside Tina after giving me a quick loving kiss. 

Next is Leilani who comes hopping out of the house. She is in a really good mood today. I think she liked her combined morning wakeup routine. 

Travis uses her driveway to turn around and we head back to school together, excitedly talking about classes, and sports. Alexander talks about what he’s doing in music class, and how his teacher has praised him for in his improvement, and has asked that he join band. I tell him that’s a wonderful compliment, and we’ll have to find cellos to play together - seeing as that’s what he’s taking in music class this year.

“The teacher says I can bring my school cello home to practice provided I have a safe place to keep it and take care to not damage the neck.” Alexander says excitedly.

“That’s great!” I smile to him as he gets out of the van and he waves goodbye. 

“How many instruments can you play Rose?” Tina gets curious. 

“Piano, guitar and cello.” The later two I learned in music class and band.” I reply. “I also sort of can play the violin, but Cassandra is much better at it than I am.” 

Cassandra blushes. “Top of my class and 2 years in junior band.” She smiles. “I never continued with music past freshman year.” 

“Why not?” Tina asks. “You are obviously talented.” 

“None of my friends play, and I never got to know my band mates as well as I know Travis, Leilani, Chloe, and Zoe.” She replies as we get out of the van and gather our things.

“Fair enough I suppose.” Tina smiles as we start walking into school.

We get into into school and soon take up the whole hall. I have Cassandra’s & Leilani’s arms around me, my hands go along their backs, to hold Travis’s and Tina’s hands. Travis is purposefully letting our clasped hands bump against Leilani’s butt, he can be so cheeky. She doesn’t seem to mind though, in fact I feel her push back against our bumping. She looks at us each in turn and gives us a seductive smile. She’s enjoying that too much I chuckle to myself. 

We split up to put our bags in our lockers and soon join up together for math class, we’re the last ones in, but our friends have made sure to keep are regular seats clear. Outside of geography, I usually have Travis in front, Cass on my left, Leilani on my right, and Tina behind me now. Zoe still keeps her seat behind me in Geography however, as we’re project partners. The rest of our friends sit around us. 

With the upcoming test Friday afternoon, today’s class is review, and we work on our assignments. The teacher posts sample questions on the board to what we’ll expect to see on our test, and we work on them together to get the baseline equations down pat. 

Sophomore classes were a welcome change this morning. As the class is still catching up on material I already know, I can relax and help my very flirty Trent with Geo & English. The people near us have started giving him odd looks as some of his flirtations are that obvious. If he wasn’t so adorable, I’d be bothered by it. _Am I falling for him? Oh dear, I hope not_ … I mean, he’s only a year younger, already as muscular as Travis, and - with Zoe’s hinting - likely as endowed… No, let’s not go there just yet. 

Trent holds my hand as we walk out of class and head to the lockers, as we split up, I rejoin him and Zoe as we gather for lunch. 

“Did you want to go to the GSA today?” Travis asks. 

“I think we should warn them first before the 12 of us suddenly invade them.” I say with a smile. 

“Fair enough, I’m hungry, let’s go eat.” Cassandra says and we head into the cafeteria instead. 

Since school started, we’ve gone from sitting at little separate tables, to just making one large table that we can all sit at. It just made it easier. My soccer team has started sitting nearby, as has Trent’s team, so we’ve created a ‘jock’ corner with my poor geek lovers trapped in the middle. The others in the computer club don’t seem to mind. Now that we’re all friends (seeing as most of the guys are dating athletes), the geeks in our group don’t get teased anymore. It’s been pretty much a win-win situation for most of us. 

“I can’t believe we’ve managed to create a group like this.” Cassandra says leaning against me. 

“When I started helping Carl with his math, he learned I was a handy resource, and it was best not to torment your tutor if you want help.” Tim grins, leaving us chuckle at the lightness of his comment. 

We’re about halfway through lunch, when I spot a motion in the corner of my eye, I look over and Monique is asking me to come over. “Excuse me.” I say as I get up from my friends.

“She’s not starting this all over again?” Travis says annoyed having notice Monique’s motions. 

I give Travis a kiss. “Be right back babe.” I smile. Travis looks content by the fact that Monique saw me kiss him before leaving. I swear, he’s just as bad as her sometimes. 

I make my way to Monique and her friends and she gets up, smiles, and gives me a hug and kiss. To say that people surrounding us were surprised is an understatement. 

“So, you still playing soccer, right?” She says in a sweet tone. 

“I am.” I smile. 

“Where are you playing after school.” She asks. 

“Twinbrooks. I’ll be heading out with the girls on the bus, while Travis and the others are coming by car. With Zoe’s boyfriend, we’re a full vehicle.” 

“Oh.” Monique says with a sad face. 

“Why don’t you see if Brad & Yasmin want to drive you out?” I suggest. "Trent’s been encouraging Brad to pick up some pointers form the girls team…” 

“Oh really?” Monique says curiously. 

“Yeah, Rose came out to the boy’s game last Thursday, some kind of agreement she has with Trent.” Yasmin says coming up behind Monique. 

“The goal is to coordinate strategies between the two teams so that we can both win pennants this year.” I say with a smile. 

“I’d say it’s working.” Yasmin comments. “If it weren’t for Rose’s insight the boys may have even lost last week.” 

“Really...” Monique smiles at me, even more curious. 

I shrug. “I picked up on the fact they had a power kicker, and told the coach to get the boys to keep the ball away from him. Otherwise poor Tom would have been pelted repeatedly.” 

“Poor Tom indeed.” Yasmin says, he came to school the next day having picked a fight with the wrong guy, you know anything about it?” 

I shake my head as Monique looks at me suspiciously. “Is he okay? Is going to be able to play tomorrow?” 

“Brad says he was running okay today for gym class, so he should be fine.” Yasmin smiles. “So, where’s my hug girl?” 

I smile and give Yasmin a hug as Monique goes to sit down, she whispers in my ear. “So you took her back, but you won’t date me?” 

“You have a jealous boyfriend I don’t want to deal with honey, otherwise Monique wouldn’t have had a second chance.” 

“Okay” she pouts.” I’ll see about getting her out to the game this afternoon. See you then.” She gives me a kiss on the cheek and walks away. I can see Monique start to get annoyed, but my coming up to her changes her focus.

“Yasmin says she’ll try to get you out to the game. See you then.” I lean down and give her a sweet kiss and she melts into the chair. 

I saunter away I an hear Lilliana say “How does she do that?” 

I get back to my friends with a frown on my face. “What did she want?” Cassandra says, noting my mood.

“She was looking for a drive to see me at game today, but I told her that, with Zoe’s boyfriend, we’re full. She didn’t argue.” I start. “However, Yasmin says that her and Brad want to see the game tonight, so they’ll bring her with them.” 

“Oh good, Brad’s taking me up on my suggestion of watching you girls play.” Trent says happily. “Oh, wait…” 

“Yes, that means both Yasmin and Monique will be in the stands.” I say mildly annoyed. 

“Those two are going to be a problem this year, aren’t they?” Tina asks. 

“Between Monique wanting what we had as if the breakup never happened, and Yasmin wanting what Monique has - despite her burly jealous boyfriend… Yes.” I say as I finish off my lunch. 

“Will you ever be like that with Monique again?” Penny asks curiously. “You two were so affectionate in school, it’s made a lot of girls like my sister feel confidant that they can be themselves here without being teased or tormented for being queer.”

“I don’t know.” I reply honestly. “I know she’s not going to get as much attention as she used to.” I look at my loves. “She’s not yet part of this relationship, you all come first before she does, okay?” 

My friends nod and smile. Zoe gets this look on her face. “Oh, so instead of how you started, we’re your main dating circle, and she’s the one you’re dating on the side?” 

“Yes, only I’m not going to hide it from you. I still have no idea what exactly Monique has planned, it could be that she was just tired of being lonely and ignored. Till I know she’s not going to hurt any of you, I can’t trust her yet. After how she’s been acting lately, how many people do you think would want to date her?” 

“I can think of a few in our class.” Brent says.” But none of them would compare how you treat your lovers. And that’s why she came back to you.” 

“I’m not going to argue with that.” Tina comments. “She’s just as exceptional there as the rest of her is - and not just physically.” 

I blush at her comment. Apparently dating a romantic is different than anyone else. 

“Yes, dating a romantic does have it’s advantages.” Amber answers my unspoken comment. “Brent always makes me feel special, as if I’m the most important person in the world to him.” 

“Well you are my love, how can I hide it?” Brent replies and leans back so that they can kiss.

Travis reaches across the table and we hold hands looking at each other lovingly. Yes, the two of them remind me much of our loving relationship. 

The bell rings forcing us to go back to class. As we’re heading out, I can feel Monique’s hand on my shoulder and I let go of my loves and turn around. 

“Brad confirmed that he can drive us out to the game.” She says excitedly. Grabs my head and pulls me in for a loving kiss. “I’ll see you then honey.” She says softly with loving eyes and walks around our crowd to head out. 

“Yep, she’s going to be a problem.” Travis grumbles. 

“Give this a chance love, I want to see how it pans out.” I reply and he slouches his shoulders. 

I pull my boyfriend forward and give him a deeper kiss than the one Monique gave me. He melts in my arms and leans on my shoulder. 

“Amber’s right, you can make someone feel like they are the most important person in the world.” He sighs. 

“I love you.” I say a deep meaningful voice as I hold him in my arms. I give him one last squeeze. “Now lets get to class.” 

“Right.” He smiles as he puts his arm around me and the other around leilani. Leilani reaches out for my hand. Cassandra puts her arm around me and I hold Tina’s hand as we walk out of the cafeteria.


	49. Wednesday Afternoon

The rest of the afternoon was … strange. Algebra sort of just whisked by without much notice. Then I had Trent flirting with me during math, as I helped him sort out the new equations we picked up this week. I had Zoe flirting with me during Geography, as we had pretty much done all of our project, and were just cleaning up the 5 minute presentation we are going to make this time next week. 

Next thing I know I have Tina tapping me on the shoulder before the bell, we need to get ready for soccer. She takes my hand and we first head to our lockers to grab our bags, and then to gym to change. For the second time since we started doing field trips, I follow her into the gym locker room to change with the rest of the girls. The team slowly filters in and we laugh and we giggle and we joke around as we strip down to underwear before putting on our shorts and t-shirts. Penny was the first to notice it.

“Okay, I’ve seen hickeys on you before Rose, but that’s an actual bite mark on your shoulder.” She says as I’m slipping on my shorts. 

My quick glance to Tina and her blushing is all Penny needs to tie it together.

“So you two aren’t just dating.” Penny’s smile grows wider. 

“It’s not what you think.” Tina says in her defense. 

“Right, you just got what some of us were hoping for, and you weren’t going to admit to it.” Pam says beside her sister, slipping on her shirt. 

“Come one girls, be nice. Tina’s allowed to have fun just like the rest of us.” Amber comes to her defense. 

“So, what’s it like dating Rose?” Jennifer probes. 

Tina sighs and relaxes. “Okay, I didn’t want to cause any drama, but I guess during our morning shower fun, I got a little carried away”… she looks to Jennifer. “Rose is as gentle as she is strong. I’ve never felt so loved by anyone before.”

“Didn’t it hurt Rose?” Innocent Nali asks, touching the bite mark. 

“Well, I was sort of in the middle of an orgasm and it just amplified the feeling.” I say boldly. 

The girls giggle and hoot and cheer us on. Tina smiles hesitantly. “I thought that knowing that Rose and I were sleeping together might make some of you upset.” 

“So, who started it?” Carol asks. 

“She did.” I say without hesitation. 

“Rose is like this cuddly bear.” Tina says looking at me fondly. “She’s all strong and muscular on the outside. But she’s so loving, tender, and gentle.” Tina cups my chin and gives me a loving kiss. “She always makes sure her lover is satisfied, I’ve never had that in a relationship before.” 

We hear a resounded “awe…” from the girls. 

“That sounds as erotic as it is romantic….” Angela says with a sigh. 

“It’s what you get when you dating a romantic geek.” Amber smiles and gives me a wink. 

Tina turns. “Oh, wow. Is Brent like that too?” Amber grins and nods. She turns to our forward. “Penny?” 

“I don’t know yet, but I intend to find out before the weekend is over.” She gives a coy smile. 

“If Chris is anything like his geek friends, girl, you are in for a treat.” Amber says with a grin. 

“So, does that mean that Travis…” Brianna starts.

“Really knows how to love a lady.” I finish for her. “I’ve never experienced love like what he gives me.” I sight and lean into my girlfriend. 

“Should I be jealous?” Tina teases me. 

“You girlfriend, don’t have anything to worry about. According to Leilani he only comes a close second.” I reply with a cheeky smile. 

“I still can’t get over how many people you sleep with.” Sue says shaking her head.

“Well, the one thing I discovered about Rose is she’s just as muscular and exceptional down there as the rest of her.” Tina boast and put her hands 18cm apart. 

Penny gives and odd look. “I know you said you were trans Rose, but how the hell do you hide that?!” 

“It isn’t always easy.” I say playfully and the rest of the girls start to laugh. 

We’ve been dressed for a bit, and there’s a knock on the change room door. “I hear a lot more chatter and laughing, I hope you girls are ready….” Coach says just cracking the door open enough to be heard.

“Ready coach.” We say as one voice. And start grabbing our bags. 

We file into the bus with Tina sitting beside me up front, Penny & Pam are sitting behind us. The bell rings as we pull out of the parking lot. As we start on the road I turn around in my seat, and lean forward so that my voice doesn’t carry very far. 

“Pam, you’re looking for a girlfriend, right?” I say softly. 

Pam’s eyes suddenly go wide, she blushes, looks down an nods. 

“Well, if you want a girl, what Rose has won’t make you happy.” Tina says turning around and cupping my ass. 

“So, we’ve been thinking….” I say giving Tina a poke in the side causing her to giggle. 

“Ask Mia.” Tina says after she’s done giggling.” 

“You think Mia would say yes?” Pam’s head suddenly shoots up in surprise. 

“Mia is probably the most feminine in the team, and she’s already turned down two boys to the dance.” Carol says leaning over. 

“Really?” Pam asks, suddenly looking hopeful. 

“Ask her after the game, during dinner.” I say encouragingly.

“I.. I don’t know.” Pam says suddenly looking worried and bashful. 

“Pam, you don’t want to go a full season with the regret of not asking one of the cutest girls on the team out.” Tina says backing my statement up.

“I know you’ve struggled with hiding being queer Pam.” Her sister says. “Look at Rose, she walks around school, holding her girlfriends and no one teases or torments her.” 

“Rose is the strongest girl in school, who knows what she can do.” Pam says in argument.

“She can toss my brother who’s twice my size like he’s a rag doll.” Tina says quietly, then suddenly looks surprised when she realizes she said that out loud. 

Jennifer suddenly leans past Carol, she’s a senior and in Tom’s class. “Is that who beat your brother up last Thursday? All Tom will say is that he picked the wrong kid to fight.” 

I put my head down and groan. “Rose?” Penny asks worried. 

When I look up my face is filled with worry and regret. “Yes, I beat Tom up, he came at me and I only threw him cause Tina asked me not to hurt her brother.” I say sadly. 

Tina holds me close and offers me comfort. 

“I knew you were strong Rose…” Penny starts.

“I spent over 3 years before my transition doing intense physical training.” I start to explain. “Weight lifting, hour long jogging as fast as I could, doing 20 laps in the pool, then there was the martial arts training to keep us flexible and teach us discipline.” 

“Her swim coach was a militant bad-ass.” Tina says in an annoyed tone. 

“All the boys go through the same training.” I continue. “I went from this 54 kg weakling to a 70 kilo powerhouse who can lift someone 2 to 3 times my size. But I don’t look it, as the it developed as lean muscle.” 

“Woooow…” say the girls around me. 

“I know how to take down most opponents without even breaking a sweat, as I was a 1st dan black belt by the time I left the city.” I look around the bus. “I don’t like promoting my strength, I don’t like hurting people. I left the aggressive, angry teen behind me when I stopped being male. I was shaped to be strong, lean, agile, and have no fear.” I say sadly. “It’s not who I am, I’m this soft hearted romantic artist that just wants to love. Being a girl has helped me, but it’s taking a lot to unlearn who I was.” 

“I’d say the soft hearted romantic is really what drew us to you.” Pam says without hesitation. “You care for each and every one of us, without doubt, without reservation.”

“You have this confidence that none of us have ever experienced before.” Penny says. “I know you may not be proud of who you were, but that level of surety. That will to triumph over anything thrown at you. That is why we follow you, Rose.” 

The girls all nod. “You may not realize it honey, but you don’t back down from a challenge, you just do what it takes.” Tina says softly beside me. “It’s what I fell in love with.” 

I turn to look at her surprised. Tina takes the opportunity to take my head in her hands and give me a long loving kiss. She lets go of my head and puts her arms around me as I melt into her arms. The girls all cheer us on, and it’s amazing. I never experienced this level of friendship like I have with my team before. It’s so comforting. I sink down in my seat and happily cuddle into my girlfriend. 

“So coach…” Penny says once the bus starts to calm down from our display of endearment. Coach turns around, he was sitting in the seat across us. “Do you think that Twinbrooks has the same strategy for the girls team as they do for the boys?” 

“I’ve been hoping that’s the case.” He smiles. “If so, then Sommers and Montgomery here have an edge.” 

“Hows that?” Carol asks. 

“Because Rose and I were at the game last Thursday when my brother played against them.” Tina says before I can. I let me girlfriend go so that she can turn to face the others. “It means we’re looking at a strong offense. One of their forwards will be a power kicker, another will be good at ball control.” She starts telling the strategy we saw. “We’ll need to keep them separated, or Angela is going to get pelted. They will either have a really good goalie, or have an agile defensive plan to keep us away from the net. We’ll want Rose and I to wear down the defense line while Amber slips past them. When we punch through, then you can score.” Tina says looking at Amber and she nods. 

“This game will be harder than it was against Newcrest.” Coach says. “Most of their team are veterans. They keep their freshmen and sophomores as backups to learn from the experienced players. They expect to win this game.” He continues. “I looked back into the sports records, Willow Creek has never won a game against them.” 

“So we can use their confidence against them?” Amber suggests. 

“I do hope that they start off overconfident.” Coach agrees. It means that you girls can do a repeat of Newcrest and get two quick goals in before they realize that - this year - Willow Creek isn’t just a bunch of pushovers.”

I can see Tina and Jennifer nod. “This is the first year that I’ve seen Willow Creek as a coordinated team.” Jennifer says with a smile. “I was so relieved when you picked Rose as our captain. I’ve never seen a new recruit organize a girls team so fast as Rose has.” 

“Tina helped.” I offer. 

“Yes, Tina did help quite a bit, she tried to do the same coordinated effort with you as she did with the team last year. Only, unlike last year, you listen to her - and work with her - instead of being a stubborn wench and going against her.” Jennifer replies.

“Angelique was a egomaniac that thought she knew everything.” Tina says with a frown. 

“Yes, I remember her.” Penny nods. “It’s why I dropped out of the team last year.” 

“As did many of the other good players.” Jennifer replies. “Where Angelique wanted glory, Rose has only wants us to work together.” She smiles. “And that’s the difference. Rose doesn’t try to control everything.” Jennifer says as she looks at me. “That first mock game where you, Tina, Amber, Penny, Carol and Angela went against us. I saw something that I’d not seen before.” 

“What’s that?” I say confused.

“Teamwork.” Jennifer says. “I know it sounds simple, but in the 4 years I’ve played soccer I’ve rarely seen it happen. You don’t just control the field, your team controls the field. You work with all the girls here to make sure we each know where and what is going on.” 

“The sign language helps.” Tina smiles. 

“Is that what that is?” Penny says finally catching on. “You’ve taught us the motions, and I was wondering…” 

“My aunt Barbara was deaf.” Tina explains. “I learned sign language at an early age. When I first whistled, motioned, and I notice Rose catch on, I thought it would be useful on the field. Having a coach that caught on and encouraged it has helped even more. In the past month you’ve all learned some basics of sign. The fact that we can sign, and communicate across the field helps immensely. Newcrest was floored at the fact that we could communicate just through whistles and hand motions. They had no idea what we were planing. I intend to use that as a tool for as long as it keeps being our advantage.”

The girls all cheer and clap. Tina counts to 3. “For Willow Creek, for together we are one!” we shout together. 

Coach smiles proudly. “You girls are amazing. I wish I’ve had more teams like yours. Honestly, it’s why I left the city.”

“What do you mean coach?” Amber queries. 

“I left the city, for I felt that I couldn’t do more for the teams there. They were either too set in their strategies, or to chaotic to do more. I did as best as I could. Those players that would listen, got better, those that didn’t were beyond my help. I asked the school division for a challenge, and they sent me here, to you.” 

“Because in over 5 years Willow Creek has barely gotten to finals, let alone win a pennant.” Tina says catching on. 

“Exactly.” He smiles. “Then I found the best influential pair of players I’ve seen in almost decade.” He looks at Tina and I. “The way you two work together. I’ve never seen that level of cooperation since junior league.” 

“When you met another Montgomery, and - let me guess - the other’s name was Simmons.” I say catching on. “My brother Dave and his friend Doug - before he moved back here to Willow Creek.” 

“I was hoping you were the born leader your brother is.” Coach smiles. “I’m glad my gamble at making you team captain paid off.” 

“You knew Rose’s brother?” Tina asks surprised. 

“Coached him for years. No matter what sport he undertook, he excelled. Then, I came across a younger Montgomery who wasn’t quite the caliber their brother was.” Coach says with a grim smile.

“Please, don’t remind me. I didn’t become the athlete I am now till my father forced me into it.” I grumble. 

“I know you had a hard road getting here Montgomery.” Coach says softly, I can hear the sympathy in his voice. “But your parents would be proud at what you’ve accomplished here.” 

“Thanks.” I say with a sad smile. “I know my mother has said as much.” 

“I thought you said your brother was your legal guardian and that you don’t talk to your parents?” Amber says suddenly surprised. 

“My father disowned me, but my mother and I still communicate.” I say with a heavy sigh. “I know it’s hard on her, but my brother threatened emancipation if they didn’t agree to guardianship rights. My father backed down at that point, much to my mother’s relief. We only trade messages online. I’ve not actually spoken to her since April. But she was really, really happy when I showed her the soccer photos - and has spread it to all the other family members.”

“Is that okay?” Penny says worried that I might have family harassing me.

“My mother’s side of the family have all reached out to me to reconnect.” I smile happily. “It’s nice to hear from them all again. You may even meet two of them Penny, Crystal and Finian are my uncle and aunt.”

“So you’re not the only geek in the family.” Penny smiles. 

“Nope, outside of farming, my mother’s side is filled with geeks, artists, musicians and chefs.” I grin. 

“And your father’s side?” Pam asks curiously. 

“Mechanics and steel workers mostly.” I say with a grim smile. “My uncle Sean was also a professional Boxer. Went by the nick-name the Slammer.” 

Tina looks at me for a moment. “Slammer Sean is your uncle? The best heavy-weight boxer 10 years running, retired 5 years ago?”

“Yep, that’s him.” I sigh. 

“Wow…” Tina says in amazement. “My dad was a huge fan of his…”

“Well, now you can understand how me being an effeminate artistic romantic growing up in a family of over-achievers was a problem.” I say with a dour note. 

Tina’s eyes suddenly shoot open as my last comment sinks in. “Oh honey, I’m so sorry for what you went through!” and she pulls me into a tight hug. 

“Sink or swim.” Penny says sadly. “I can’t imagine that’s much of a family life.” 

“I did what I could to survive” my muffled voice responds as Tina has my head tucked into her shoulder. Fortunately enough that I can breath - despite the tightness of her hold. 

“You two are really into each other.” Angela comments. 

“Sorry.” Tina blushes as she finally lets me go and moves so that she’s leaning against me. I put my arms around her and she puts her hands on mine. “I spent years dating brutish jocks that just want you as a trophy girlfriend. Dating Rose has been a whole new experience in love and affection.” 

“And to think it’s only been a week!” Penny giggles. 

“It’s only been a week?” Tina says in amazement. “But we’ve made love…” 

“Four times since Saturday night.” I say seductively in her ear. 

Tina purrs in my arms and snuggles in more. “You are going to have me so spoiled girlfriend.” 

“You two look so adorable together.” Penny smiles. “I hope Chris keeps up with the way we’ve been going, cause I would really love to have what you two share.” 

“Definitely worth it dating a geek.” Amber says with a dreamy smile. “I’ve never had someone spoil me the way Brent does, he’s amazing!”

“Is that why you keep feeding your boyfriend?” Angela says teasingly. 

“I also drag him out all over the place, mark my words girls, getting your boyfriend in shape has some definite advantages with increased stamina in bed.” Amber says candidly. 

“So that’s what’s been keeping you so happy lately.” Carol says teasingly. 

“I can’t believe how you are so open about this topic.” Nali says blushing. 

“I’d like to add to that statement.” Tina comments. “Getting a non-athletic boyfriend in shape has some definite advantages. Rose is the first athlete that I’ve dated that wasn’t a dud when it came to romance and sex.” 

“I can definitely agree with that statement.” I smile. 

Penny gets curious. “So, Travis, does he ever?…” 

“Nope, won’t even touch it.” I say knowing where her question is going. 

“Doesn’t that bother you?” Penny inquires. 

“That’s what I have girlfriends for…” I grin. 

“His loss is my gain.” Tina grins and squeezes my arms. I hug her to me and she leans into me and sighs. 


	50. Twinbrooks Again

It feels odd rolling into Twinbrooks, like déjà vue, where I remember all the turns and streets.   
We pull into the school parking lot and start to file out of the bus. Our opponents are already on the field practicing. 

“Good, they’re wearing themselves out before the game.” Tina says with a smile. 

We make our way to the field in single file, and I can see the visitor’s stands are starting to fill. I wonder if Travis and the others have made it yet, when I hear my name. I turn and sure enough, Monique found a way to beat my friends here and hops into my arms and gives me a loving kiss. 

“When did you two get back together?” Angela says in a slightly annoyed tone. 

“I asked Rose to give our relationship another chance last night, and she said yes.” Monique smiles and leans against me. 

“Tom’s going to be disappointed.” Jennifer comments as she walks past us. 

“What, why?” I say suddenly looking up from Monique’s affections. 

“Tom’s been pining after Monique since you two split up.” Jennifer says as she takes a swig of her sports drink. 

I look down at my girlfriend and she suddenly looks embarrassed. “So, Tom may have asked me to the dance.” Monique says looking up at me. “But I don’t want to date him, I want you back in my life.” 

“Monique, I already told you have have dates for the dance.” I say mildly annoyed. “At least going with Tom you can be there and not go alone.” 

“Dates?” Jennifer asks mildly surprised. 

“Rose is taking Cassandra and I, while Travis is taking their girlfriend.” Tina says without hesitation.   
Monique suddenly gives Tina a glare. 

“Stop right there honey, I told you I’m dating other people.” I warn her and let her go. 

“Monique looks up at me and then down. “Sorry honey, I didn’t think you and your soccer forward were that much of an item.” 

Before I can react, Tina pulls me into her arms. “Well we are. I love Rose and you’re going to have to get used to that.” She has one arm around my waist and the other protectively around my chest. I put my arm around her in return. 

Monique watches the exchange and looks like she’s about to break down in tears at having her girl taken away. She takes a deep breath, and looks at me sadly. “I’m not used to sharing you honey, just give me time to get used to this.” 

I give Tina a squeeze and she relaxes her hold on me, I reach out for Monique and caress her cheek. “A lot has happened recently love.” 

“Quit hogging the girlfriend.” Tina lets go of me, as Leilani runs up and gives me a hug and kiss.

I look up, Travis and the others aren’t that far behind. 

“Leilani.” Monique says with slight annoyance. 

“Hi Monique.” Leilani smirks cause she’s now the one holding me.

“You two have shown me before that you can get along, I hope that wasn’t a temporary thing.” I frown, and the two girls give me a guilty, pleading look. “No arguing you two, we can all be friends here.” I say in a firm tone. 

“Yes Rose.” They both say together. Tina has this look of being impressed how I control my girlfriends. 

“Now be nice to each other.” I say in a motherly tone as I let Leilani go and turn to give Cassandra a greeting. My girlfriend comes up to me and gives me a deep passionate kiss, then looks at Monique for a reaction. 

“Don’t you start, I’m just getting those two to behave.” I whisper in her ear. 

Cassandra merely gives me a squeeze in response as she lets me go so Travis can get his. Like his best friend, my boyfriend purposefully gives me a deep loving greeting. 

“I just saw you an hour ago.” I say teasingly, as he lets me go. 

“Sorry.” He blushes. “I figured, if the girls are getting a loving greeting, I can get one too.” 

“Cheeky.” I say caressing his cheek. “Good thing you’re so cute.” I say teasingly.

The whistle blows, calling the players to the field. I let go of Travis, and give a quick hug and kiss on the cheek to Trent and Zoe, with a promise to talk more later.

I turn, giving Monique one last quick kiss as I run pass. Tina takes my hand and we run together onto the field. She gives me a kiss before taking position. I can see the Twinbooks captain look at Tina then at me. 

“When you work close enough together, it’s easy to date your teammate.” I say with a cocky smile. “That doesn’t bother you does it?” I say challenging her. 

The ref asks us to call for the coin toss, and my opponent calls heads. The coin lands on tails and I give her a grin. “Sometimes getting some tail is a good thing.” I goad her, and then suddenly steal the ball as she gets all blustered. 

She struggles to catch up, but I’m already past their defense, and ready to take a shot when I hear my girlfriend whistle on the right. I feint a kick at goal, and pass to Tina, who sinks the shot. My forwards and I do high fives as we run back to the center line. 

“Look you queer, I don’t care who you’re sleeping with.” My opponent snaps at me as we face each other again. 

“Really?” I say teasingly. “Is that why you’re all hot and bothered?” she glares at me. “You’re going to have to run faster if you want to catch this.” I say and kick the ball to Amber before she has the time to react. I pat her bottom as I go by, putting her off her game as I play with her mind. 

Amber weaves through their forward line and digs far to the left to avoid their defense, she doesn’t have a good shot to goal, so she passes it to me. The goalie is ready for my shot, so I pass it over to Tina. Their defensive #12 blocks her shot, so she kicks it back to me, and I sink a left hand corner shot. 

We’re doing a clasped high five as we run back to our end of the field. “Think we have them off their game enough?” Tina smirks. 

“I think I’ve played with their captain’s head enough.” I grin back. 

“Give them a break and see what they’ve got?” Amber offers and I nod. 

“Got it.” My girls say and we get back into position. 

“Quit playing around.” My opponent is really getting angry. 

“Okay luv, let’s see what you’ve got.” I say and take a half step back to let her take the ball. 

She gives me a doubtful look before taking the ball and dashing to my left. I motion Penny to get ready and she nods as Tina and I come up behind their captain, boxing her in. She’s forced to relinquish the ball, and Penny kicks it forward, to see what #8 & #10 will do with a loose ball. I spot the captain get in position for the shot. I motion Carol and Penny to block her and run up to get the ball back. Just as #10 kicks to her captain, I suddenly dash forward and steal the ball, my kick has it curving off to Tina who takes it and runs for their defense. 

The girls are learning, and the defense is not letting her pass, and block her from moving forward. The ball comes back to me, and I take a shot at getting past, and it’s getting harder now that the 3 others are in the scrummage. I kick back to Penny who plays with the ball just before center field, waiting for the other girls to come at her. She suddenly dashes to the left and kicks to Amber when she’s clear. Their goalie deflects Amber’s shot, and then catches Tina’s before we’re forced to back off to see where she is going to throw it.   
The goalie feints to toss it out, instead rolls it to #10 who then punches forward, I look back and their team is set up for a run at the net. I motion Penny to cover the captain, and Carol to cover #8 as we run to catch up. I motion the girls to hold back as I scan the field. I can see their captain going for the left. And motion Angela to expect a right end shot. 

Sure enough, the captain comes up to the left hand, but tries to kick past Angela for #8 to make a right side shot. Our goalie catches the ball, and tosses it over to Carol. The other team wasn’t expecting it to be handed to the defense, which leaves Tina free as the captain turns to run after the ball. Tina runs forward, and Carol gives one of her famous long curve kicks, which Tina had anticipated. Amber and Tina are flanking each side of the goal, with the goalie wondering who’s going to take the shot. As Tina points to Amber, the goalie changes her focus only to have me run up and take the ball, sinking in our third goal. 

“What kind of strategy is that?” the captain says confused.

“We like taking turns, everyone wins that way.” I say with a cheeky grin.   
The captain tries to kick the ball between my legs, I take a leap back and close my heels together, blocking the ball and forcing her to suddenly stop as she was expected to keep running. I spin sending the ball at a deep angling curve. While the ball looks to be going to Tina, it suddenly reverses course and gets picked up by Amber. The defense looks like their ready for anything this time, and manage to stop her and get the ball back to our end. 

Angela has successfully blocked 2 shots at the net till we can get the ball away from our goal line. 

Twinbrooks has learned from their expectations of an easy win, and both teams are hard pressed to get the ball anywhere near goal before the half-time whistle blows. 

“Well, you got them good and frazzled for an easy 3 point lead.” Coach smiles. “But they’re on to you.”

“Did I see you pat their captain on the butt before taking the ball?” Monique says as she approaches us. 

“The captain looked put off that Tina kissed me, so I thought it would be fun to play with her homophobia a little.” I grin. “And it worked.” 

“This time, watch it Montgomery.” Coach warns. “She might turn on you and voluntarily take you both off the field if she really gets angry.” 

“No fighting, even if she starts it.” Leilani warns me putting a arm around my waist.

“Okay dear, for you I won’t” I smile and she kisses me before going back to snuggle with Travis.

“We have time for a half-time show?” Tina offers and the coach smiles and nods. 

I take a quick swig from my water bottle before giving Monique a kiss as she takes it back to the benches. I blow a kiss to Cassandra and grab a ball. Amber and Penny are with us as the 4 of us start our synchronized ball show. The fans really love this and they cheer us on as they recognize the start of what we did last week. We change it up this time, with Tina and I juggling facing each other, Penny has her back to Tina and facing Amber. I motion Amber and we suddenly toss our balls over to each other and start juggling in pairs again, we get to do that trick one more time before the ref blows to have the teams back on the field. 

We get back to the center field and I can see the look of disgust on the captains face. “How many girlfriends do you have queer?!” she snaps at me. 

“Four, why are you jealous?” I say teasingly. 

The captain snaps and screams as she suddenly launches at me. My training kicks in and, to keep Leilani happy, rather than intercept her, I twist out of the way and she lands on the ground. 

“You know you really need to work on those reflex luv.” I comment and she turns around at leaps at me again. I sidestep out of her reach and frown. “This is very unsportsmanlike of you.” I say in a scolding tone. 

“Agreed says the ref, and as she gets up to launch at me again he grabs her from behind. “That’s enough from you, go cool off on the bench!” 

“No!” she struggles, and it takes a second referee to drag her to the benches. 

The refs call a penalty against Twinbrooks and I can hear the groan of discontent from the home stands. 

We wait as their replacement center comes out on the field, shaking her head. 

“What’s your problem?” The girl says as she comes to face me. 

“You’re captain’s homophobic, I have no problem at all.” I say calmly. “Now can we be civilized and play ball?” 

The girl looks thoughtful, she was prepared to say something to back up her captain, but simply nods. 

“Just to prove I’m fair, you take first shot.” I say, and she smiles. 

I watch her take the ball, running a few paces behind, she has amazing ball control, she’s weaving in and out of Penny and Carol, and I see #10 come along the sides. I motion for Amber to block her. Sure enough, the new center kicks to where I was expecting. Amber suddenly intercepts the ball from behind her, and runs for the other end. 

Again their defense is good at blocking us. As much as we try, we can’t get past them before we get swamped at middle field and the ball becomes anyone’s game. The new center #15 suddenly makes a break for it, she’s fast. I dash to catch up, but she’s already past Penny and taking a shot at goal. Angela catches it easily. She’s tossing to Carol when #10 does Tina’s head-butt trick and manages to get it in goal. 

We gather at goal to give Angela some supporting comments. “Keep the ball away from 10, she’s their power player.” I warn. The girls all nod and we head back to our positions. 

Sure enough, 10 is giving us our run for the money. Her and 15 work well together, reminding me of Tina and myself. So the two of us work at keeping the ball away from them. It’s a tough game, and neither side manages to get another goal. After the surprise head shot, Angela’s looking out for everything, and she blocks 4 shots on goal. Not to be unmatched their goalie manages 5 shots from Amber and I, our opponents seem to focus on Tina, and never let her keep the ball for long. 

As the ref blows the whistle we gather at middle field and shake hands. “Your team is a strange lot, name’s Ginny.” Says 15, and she smiles. 

“Rose.” I smile back. “We’re going to the Apple Barrel, want to join us?”

“Might not look good, fraternizing with the opposition.” Ginny grins. 

“Fair enough, some other time then.” I smile and we slap each others shoulders before going our separate ways. 

I get to my friends and we get into a big group hug. Monique staying out of my sweaty embrace. “Is there another restaurant besides the Apple Barrel?” I ask. 

“Why?” Tina asks confused. 

“Just a hunch.” I say with a frown. 

“There’s Carl’s on the other side of town.” Cassandra says looking at her phone. 

“Let’s go there, Travis take a swing by the Apple Barrel, see if my hunch is right.” I suggest. He nods, and we head for the bus while he and our friends head to the cars. 

Getting on the bus allows us to trade our cleats for other footwear, but we’re all still wearing our soccer outfits and warmers. We’re about halfway to Carl’s Restaurant when Cassandra calls me. 

“You’re right, there’s an angry mob at Apple Barrel waiting for you to show up.” She says with concern. “You knew?”

“Popular homophobe in school gets shown up be a queer girl, being pulled off the field… yeah. I figured her and her ‘crew’ would want to fix the slight.” I frown. Tina looks at me worried and holds me tight. 

“We’ll swing around and join you in a bit.” She says, and I can hear the van speed up as she closes the line. 

Penny leans over the seat. “How did you know?” 

“Before I got into sports, I used to be picked on for being gay, because I was apparently too femme to be straight.” I say with a frown. “Even when I bulked up and could defend myself, my effeminate nature still tagged me as queer. To the point my swim team captain hit on me asking to be my boyfriend.” 

“Which is why he was holding your shoulder in that team photo.” Tina catches on.

“But you’re dating Travis.” Pam says. 

“I was never interested in boys before I met Travis.” I reply. 

“You have a straight relationship with your boyfriend.” Amber catches on. “You’re just like any other girl who finds boys alluring.” 

I nod. “It took my hormonal system to fully switch over before I found boys attractive. Beth equates it that, pre-puberty, girls generally find boys gross. 

“Ewww. Boy cooties.” Penny says giggling and the rest of the girls giggle with her. 

“So it took your female puberty to find boys cute.” Angela says catching on. 

“Exactly.” I smile. “So far it’s just been with Travis, though Trent’s trying to win me over.” 

“I thought Trent was dating Zoe.” Amber says with a frown. 

“I kissed them both on Saturday.” I say blushing. 

“And now they want with you what you have with Travis and Leilani.” Penny says catching on. 

“It’s slowly going there.” I say with a sigh. 

“You just don’t know when to say ‘no’ do you girlfriend?” Tina teases me. She, of course knew this already. 

“With adorable people like you, how can I say no to that?” I say giving her a small kiss and tickling her nose with mine. 

Tina giggles and then cuddles against me. 


	51. After the Twinbrooks Game

We get to Carl’s restaurant, and they tell us they need at least 15 minutes to clear enough table space for 20 people. We’re sitting spaced out at the bar when Travis and the other’s arrive. Monique, Brad and Yasmin come in soon after. 

“Wow. You should see how angry that group got when you didn’t show up.” Yasmin says worried. “What did you do today?” 

“I hit on their homophobic team captain, and showed her I was the better girl by not getting in a fight on the field.” I reply. 

“You are incorrigible.” Travis says as he puts his arms around me. 

“How’d they know where you were going?” Monique says taking my hand. 

“I mentioned it to Ginny, their spot center. It was, sadly, a test of her character.” I frown.

“And she failed, cause she told the others.” Cassandra says, holding on to my other hand. 

“Your table is ready now.” The host tells us and we start following him. “So what’s the occasion?” he says as he brings us to the back of the restaurant.

“We just beat Twinbrooks High at soccer.” Amber says with a smile. “This is our celebration dinner.” 

“Oh, that’s not going to go well with the locals. They seem to think their teams are unbeatable.” He says with concern. 

“Well, the guys kicked their butts last week.” Brad says with a grin. “Now the girls just continued the trend.” 

“I see.” He smiles. “My name is Joe. Dominic will be around to serve you shortly.” 

He puts the stack of menus on the table, and we start sorting out who is sitting where. I have Cassandra on my left. Travis and Leilani on my right. I was rather surprised that she let our boyfriend sit beside me this time. Must be something they agreed to in the van. Monique sits across from us beside Tina. I can see my girlfriends sizing each other up. Tina is muscular and lean like I am, and taller. Monique is short, stocky, and has quite the figure. Her D cups are definitely one of her winning traits. 

“I can see why my brother would have a crush on you.” Tina says at last. “He definitely likes the voluptuous types. I have to say though, you seem a lot smarter that his last two girlfriends.” 

Monique looks at Tina, wondering if she should take that as an insult or a compliment. “Really?” she probes. 

“Oh, yeah, Tom usually goes for the rich bimbo cheerleader type like Susan Wilder, you don’t seem fit that bill at all.” Tina smiles. 

“You’re Tom’s sister?” Monique says finally catching on.

“Okay, maybe you are his type after all.” Tina smiles and takes a drink of water. 

I try not to grin. Yeah, Monique isn’t what I would call an A student like Cassandra, but she has her moments. The server arriving cuts off any come back Monique was building for, and we order 2 pitchers of ice tea and 5 of their super appetizer platters to start. 

“This place reminds me of the Diving Pelican.” Leilani says looking over the menu. 

“Want to try surf and turf like we did last week?” Tina offers. 

I look at Travis and he nods. “Yeah, sounds like a great idea.”

“Surf and turf?” Leilani and Cassandra inquire. 

“Yeah. Travis orders a meat dish, I order a chicken dish, and Tina orders a fish dish. Make them big platters and the 6 of us can share.” I smile. 

“Sounds good to me.” Monique says with a smile. 

“I’m game.” Cassandra says as she pours herself some iced tea.

Our appetizers arrive and we all start digging in, making sure to take equal portions. Cassandra taps me on the shoulder and I look over, she’s got an onion ring hanging out of her mouth. 

“Oh we’re going to play that game again, are we?” I say teasingly, and Monique looks over confused. 

Cassandra gives my a wink and I smile. I reach out with my tongue, and grab the loose end, and start eating. We munch on each other’s ends finishing with a long kiss and finally break free eating each others ends. 

“Food play is so much fun.” Tina grins as she picks up an onion ring and looks at me suggestively. 

I smile and stand up and we lean towards each other as the everyone cheers us on. Tina puts the onion ring in her mouth and we start eating each end of it. Tina makes a point of having our kiss linger before we break apart and sit down to eat. 

Trent and Zoe are pleasantly feeding each other beside Monique. “You do this all the time?” Monique says slightly surprised.

“Blame Travis here, he started it last week.” I grin and sure enough my boyfriend it offering to be next in line. 

She looks around the table and notices that which ones are couples. Brent brought Chris with him and the boys are sitting and snuggling with their girlfriends. 

I notice that Pam and Mia are sitting together and they are quietly talking to each other. Penny has noticed it too, and takes out her phone. Pam looks down at her phone and blushes, then messages her sister back. Penny giggles, messages her back and suddenly Pam turns around. 

“You want to me to do what?” she is beet red. 

“Go ahead, I dare you.” Penny says challenging her little sister. 

Pam looks around the table, as we’re waiting to see what she’ll do. Pam says something, leans forward and kisses Mia. It was to be a quick kiss, but Mia wasn’t going to let her get away with it. She grabs Pam’s face and deepens the kiss. Pam’s eyes grow wide in surprise for a moment, then she suddenly relaxes and the two of them share a deep kiss. 

“I’ve been wanting to do that since trials.” Mia says with a seductive smile. 

Pam blushes and smiles. “Oh. Was it worth the wait?” 

Mia leans forward, and puts her hands around Pam’s shoulders. “Definitely worth it.” She says in a loving tone, and leans forward and they kiss again. 

Everyone claps and cheers, and Pam leans on Mia and blushes. “You guys are awful!” 

Mia shuffles her chair closer and they cuddle, feeding each other. 

“You know, we actually have you to thank for this.” Tina says to Monique. 

“Me?” Monique says confused. 

“Your public displays of affection when you first started dating Rose. It encouraged us to continue and everyone in Rose’s circle of friendship have been encouraged to show each other’s affections and to not hold back, whether it be at school, in public, or dining.” She smiles, taking a sip of iced tea. 

“Oh.” Monique says thoughtfully. “I mostly did it..” 

“To claim Rose and to discourage others from hitting on her.” Cassandra finishes for her while leaning on my shoulder. 

“Umm.. Yeah.” Monique says blushing. 

“Do you realize how much of an influence you two have been in school this year?” Penny says as she feeds Chris. “You are the first queer couple to boldly show your affections in public. The whole school saw you as the pioneers that broke the glass ceiling.”

“Really?” Monique says surprised. 

“As much as some of us may not have appreciated your motives.” Zoe says. “We do appreciate the result of what that did for the rest of us.” 

“What do you mean, appreciate my motives?” Monique says frowning. 

“Well, you are sort of possessive and jealous.” Trent answers for his girlfriend. “Rose would hide her affections for us when you were around. To protect us.” 

“Oh.” Monique looks down and then looks at me. “Was I really that mean?” 

“When you think of it, maybe not.” Leilani says. And a few of the girls look at her in surprise. “I mean, Monique’s ideally a monogamous person. Not everyone understands polyamory, and how Rose can love more than one person.” 

Monique looks down, looks around the table an then looks at me. “I’m trying to understand how you can love all these people honey, really I am.” 

I reach across the table and take Monique’s hand. “That’s a lot further than we’ve ever been in understanding each other.” I smile. “Each and everyone one at this table I love for different reasons. Some..” I caress Travis’ cheek. “More than others.” I look around the table. “Travis is the first man I’ve loved, Leilani is fun and playful, Cassandra is kind and compassionate, Tina is strong and energetic.” I say. “These are the most obvious, each person at this table fills a place in my heart, whether it be a friend or more.” 

“And me?” Monique asks. 

“You were my first everything Monique. My first girlfriend, my first serious relationship, my first kiss, and my first lover.” I say lovingly, squeezing her hand. “But you were also jealous, and a little controlling, and as much as I wanted to tell you how I truly felt, I couldn’t, I didn’t want to hurt your feelings.” I look down and my voice gets serious. “Then my brother made me tell you that I had other relationships. I knew that it would hurt you, maybe even break your heart, but he was right, I shouldn’t have hid what I was doing to begin with.” 

Monique locks our hands and gives me a smile. 

“It hurt so much to see you walk away and cry, knowing that I was the cause of your pain.” I say as a tear rolls down my cheek. I take a deep breath. “So, I’m not hiding anything anymore from you. What you see here is who I am. I can’t stop loving all these wonderful people for you darlin’, I know you rather it just be us, but - as much as I would love to do that for you - I can’t.”

Cassandra reaches up and wipes my tear. I turn and she gives me a soft, loving kiss. I relax and she puts her head back on my shoulder. 

“I understand that now.” Monique says softly. “I’m sorry to all of you that I tried to hurt Rose by saying means words about her. I was hurt. I was angry, and what I did is wrong. Rose is the most loving and caring person I have ever met, I’ve never had a relationship with anyone like what we shared. Can you all forgive me for what I’ve done?”

“I can understand that.” Tina says. “I’ve never dating anyone like Rose either. I can understand your fear of losing her.” 

“Indeed.” Travis says.

“What about Brad?” Yasmin says curious about the connection I share with her and her boyfriend.

I turn to the two who had been mostly quietly watching my friends and I play around. The server comes up and asks us for our meal choices. I hold up my finger and we start ordering. Our couples are sharing plates, and we make our order for 6, and everyone pitches in with a plate to share with the table. He smiles, takes the empty pitcher, commenting he’ll be back with a refill. 

“Brad is my alter-ego.” I smile. 

“I am?” Brad says confused. 

“You and I share a common interest Brad.” I say as I munch on a potato skin.

He looks down at Yasmin, then at me. 

“Now, you and I are likely the strongest two people in school. Which, of course your girlfriend loves.” Yasmin looks between the two of us and looks like she’s about to say something, but I hold up my finger. “Know that I’ll never come between you two.” I say in a serious tone. “I care for her almost as much as you do. I want you two to graduate happy, and then do whatever you want afterward.” 

“Really?” Brad says and I can the hint of jealousy building. 

“Brad, I do this out of respect for you as an athlete. She is a most amazing girl, and I hope you will treat her well. You recall our agreement if you don’t.” I finish off with a slight threat to my tone. 

“Yes Rose. Thank you.” Brad says and puts his arm around Yasmin. 

I see this look of realization on Yasmin’s face. I’m not keeping my distance from her for my sake. I’m doing it for his. She looks up at Brad, and smiles happily. She pulls herself up and gives him a long loving kiss. This is the most affection I’ve seen either of them share in public and it makes me smile to know that she’s finally happy with what she has. 

“You are incredible.” Monique says with an affectionate smile. 

“I love it when you work your magic.” Cassandra sighs and puts her arm around mine. 

Monique watches Cassandra for a moment. “You always were cold and distant with me, and now I understand why. I was keeping you from loving Rose the way you wanted.”

Cassandra looks at me and gives me a loving smile. “Sorry Monique. I tried just being friends with Rose while you were dating, but I couldn’t hide my feelings when I saw you two together.” She looks at Monique. “Every time you held her or kissed her. I wished I was there in your place.” Cassandra takes a deep breath. “Like Leilani, I’ve never had feelings for a girl before. The emotions that Rose stirs in me is like nothing I’ve ever felt before.”

My lovers all nod and agree with Cassandra. Monique looks at them and realizes she they share that same want, that same need that she feels. She then looks at me. “How do you do that?” 

I merely shrug. “It seems to be part of my natural charm?” I say hesitantly. 

Monique smiles. “My father says that Rose is both boyfriend and girlfriend, and that’s why I fell for her. How she’s tall, strong, and protective, like what many of us seek in a man. Yet she’s also soft, caring, loving, and understanding, like so many of our best friends.” 

“That explains a lot.” Tina says as she munches on some nachos. 

“Well, I know what part that I love.” Travis says as he plays with my hair. 

“I’ll never understand how you can just ignore her cock and be fine with that.” Tina says dipping the nacho in sour cream. 

“Travis shrugs.” Just cause it’s a part of her, doesn’t mean I have to play with it, you seem to be filling that roll well enough.” He says with a grin. 

I look over to see a very stunned Yasmin and Brad. “Umm. Honey?” I say looking at Monique. “You never told any of your friends what you really loved about our time in bed, did you?” 

Monique looks over at her friends and blushes. “Oh. Umm.. I guess when I promised you I’d never tell anyone else that you’re a transgender girl, it meant my friends as well.” 

Yasmin looks around the table. “You mean, you all know?” 

“Yeah, Rose came out to us almost a month ago.” Amber says feeding Brent something from the fruit platter. 

Brad frowns. “You mean Rose…”

“Wasn’t always a girl.” Leilani finishes for him.

We’re distracted as our food comes to the table, giving Brad and Yasmin time to absorb this new information. When we’re alone again, Yasmin is looking at Monique in disbelief. 

“So, she’s got…” unable to finish her sentence. 

“Oh yeah, it’s pretty big too.” Leilani says with a grin.

Tina moves her hands 18 cm apart. “And boy does she ever know how to use it.” Tina gives me a smile. 

Brad looks at Cassandra. “Don’t look at me.” She says. “Travis, Leilani, Tina and Monique are the only one’s who’ve seen that part of her.” 

“More than I would like.” Travis grumbles. 

“So that’s why your father says she’s as much a boyfriend as a girlfriend.” Yasmin says thoughtfully. “When were you going to tell me?” 

“I didn’t think you were going need to find out.” Monique replies. 

“So, no one else at school know this?” Brad says, catching on. 

“Only those of us sitting at this table.” Amber replies. 

“And I would like to keep it that way.” I say in a serious tone. 

“Oh, um.. Yeah Rose.” Brad says trying to sort out his thoughts. “I mean, how many people in school would believe me if I said that you.. Umm… Are… ”

“Better endowed that most guys and really knows how to keep a girl satisfied?” Tina offers with a cheeky smile. 

“I’ll second that motion.” Leilani says with a seductive smile.

“Best sex I’ve ever had.” Monique sighs. 

“I know right?” Tina says excitedly. I think these two are getting along. 

Travis is looking down at Leilani and her face darkens. “I’m sorry honey, I love you lots but Rose is Rose…” she says. 

Travis looks back at me and I blow him a kiss, he relaxes and smiles. “Yes, yes she is.” 

I lean over and whisper in Travis’ ear, “No one gives me a full body orgasm the way you do.” And he suddenly turns red. 

“Damn girl, how do you do that to me all the time.” He says and melts into me as I put my arm around him.

“Cause you love me?” I say in a soft loving voice. 

He nuzzles into my neck. “Yes, more than I care to admit sometimes.” He says and kisses his way up my neck till he reaches my lips. 

Supper becomes this intimate event of people affectionately feeding one another. This is the first time that I’ve seen Monique get along with the rest of the loves in my life. And the first time that I’ve ever seen my loves not look at her in annoyance. I’m hoping that this meal finally gives us an opportunity to understand each other. I still don’t know if it’s going to work out with the 6 of us. Monique still looks uncomfortable when Travis kisses me. My affection with him seems to bother her the most. I guess she can understand what Tina and Leilani feel, but still hasn’t figured out Travis. 

Our server really enjoyed having us there tonight. He asked if we can ever come back again some time. I think he really loved the fact that we tipped well, shared the bill evenly, and even tried to clean up the table a bit when we were done. Piling all the plates together, and not leaving a mess on the table.


	52. After Supper

As we’re settling bills, coach comes up to us. “For those not driving home with their partners, the driver and I hung back to give the rest of you a drive home.” 

“Thanks coach.” I smile and give him a hug. 

“We just felt guilty for leaving you all to fend for yourselves last week.” He smiles “Let’s get you all home.” 

We step out of the restaurant to see a group of about 12 people leaning against the bus. 

“Took you all long enough, some of the boys wondered if you were all hiding in there.” A tall lanky guy says stepping forward. 

“Rose, let me call the police.” Coach says as he pushes himself in front of us. 

“No coach, they came for me, lets see what they want.” I say in a stern voice. I walk past him, dodging his hand as he tries to reach for my shoulder. 

“There she is, that queer that insulted my sister, and got her tossed off the field.” Says the guy as he stands in a menacing pose. 

“You know, your sister is kind of cute, too bad she’s stuck up like the rest of you here, or I could really show her a good time.” I say with a cunning smile. 

“Why you bitch!” He snaps at me. 

One of the others grabs his shoulder. “Watch out Gus, she’s got a bodyguard.” 

I can feel Brad’s almost 2 meter frame just behind me to the right. He’s twice the size of any of these guys here, and it’s making them hesitate. 

“Why don’t you all go on home before I get angry.” He says in a deep menacing tone. 

About half of them are loosing their nerve, but the ‘Gus’ is unmoved. “Not till I cut this bitch for making my sister look bad!” he says as he pulls out a hunting knife. 

“You ever fight someone with a blade?” I ask Brad 

“Nuhuh.” He replies. 

“Okay, you get the rest, I’ll take care of that moron Gus.” I grumble. I can feel my blood boil as he starts to swagger his way to me. Looking for an opening. 

I start walking towards Gus, calmly, watching his motions, calculating his actions. 

“Rose, don’t be foolish.” Coach calls out. And I motion my hand for them to stay back. I can hear Tina say something. 

I keep an eye on Gus as he grins, thinking he has the advantage. He twirls the knife, like he has the upper hand. When I get within striking reach, he’s still not curved the blade into a combat pose, he has no idea how to really fight with a knife. 

I wait for him and he does the expected. Jabbing forward to stab at me I dodge his attack. He reaches out with his other hand to try to grab me to attack harder, and I smack his hand away, leaving me open for my next attack. 

“I’m going to cut that pretty little face of yours.” He says menacingly. 

He lunges forward making his last mistake. I move out of his way, grabbing his wrist with my left hand, and chopping his elbow with my right. The pain makes him release his weak hold on the knife. I keep a hold of his wrist, bring it around his back and pining his arm. I kick his legs and he falls forward with me right on top of him. I have my knees pinning his shoulders to the ground, my arm between my legs still holding his wrist. His buddies who had started to advance on Brad suddenly stop and look our way. 

“Now. You and your stupid friends are going to tuck your tails between your legs and go home. Or do I break your arm first to show you how serious I am.” I say in a menacing tone, pulling his arm up and he screams in pain.” 

“Rose watch out.” Brad says and I look up as one of his friends picks up the knife and comes at me. 

This one’s a little smarter, he’s holing the knife tight, blade facing down. I roll off of Gus and dodge the guy’s stab at my back. I put my arms back, bracing on the ground and kick up at him. He wasn’t expecting it, and stumbles back, clutching his chest. It gives me the time to stand up.

“That hurt!” He says angrily and comes at me again. 

I do a roundhouse kick, aiming for the side that doesn’t have the blade and connect with him as he takes another swipe at me, the blade just misses my head, but my foot connects with his neck and he lands on the ground. I follow though and land my heel on Gus. 

“You stay down.” I say knocking the wind out of him.

I start walking to the others. Brad’s hurt more than one, and is boxing with another, The others start backing away as I approach. I walk past Brad, and flat hand punch the guy he’s fighting in his kidney and he crumples to the ground. 

“I don’t need a bodyguard.” I say threateningly. “Who’s next?” 

The guys all turn and run hopping in the back of a couple of pickups while two of them jump in the front. I don’t start to relax till they drive away. I turn around and start heading to Gus. 

“Get Gus, I’ll deal with his friend.” I say angrily. 

“Yes Rose.” Brad says without question. 

I kick the knife away, pickup the guy as he starts coming around, and I push him up against the bus with one hand on his chest. Brad’s holding Gus up by the shoulders, while Tina and Amber are carrying the guy I kidney punched. 

“Hey dirtbag, wake up!” I say angrily, slapping his face. He comes to, looks around, and then at me. His arm comes up, and I move my hand up to his throat. “Try something stupid and I’ll snap you neck.” I know my eyes have lost their colour by the way Brad is looking at me. “Now I’m going to make myself perfectly clear. You are to leave me and my friends alone. If I ever hear any mention of a threat from you and your pussy ass friends again, I will come back to finish you off, do I make myself clear?” I release my hold on his neck enough so that he can talk. 

“Yes ma’am.” He says in a frightened tone. “It was Gus’s idea, he though the lot of us could rough you up, scare you girls out of town.” 

“Asshole.” Gus says weakly from beside me.

“Do I **look** frightened to you?” I say in a deadpan voice. 

“Nnnno ma’am.” He stammers 

“Get out of my sight.” I threaten him and let him go, backing away. 

“Yyyes ma’am….” 

I nod to Brad and he lets Gus go and his buddy pushes Gus towards another pick up. Tina and Amber toss the knocked out guy in the back and close the gate so he doesn’t fall out. Buddy waits till the girls are out of the way before backing up and driving out of the parking lot. 

Coach comes up to us, followed by our friends behind him. “Rose, not that none of us wanted to help, but how many of those guys could you have beaten up without Brad’s help?” 

Yasmin is checking her boyfriend for any bruises. 

“All of them.” I say without hesitation. 

Tina walks up to me. “Rose? They’re gone now, you can relax, honey. Please, look at me.”

I look at Tina, she has this look of worry on her face and I slump my shoulders, as she steps forward and takes me in her arms. I lean into my girlfriend “I’m sorry.” I say apologetically. 

“It’s okay, they’re gone now, everything is going to be okay.” She holds me tight, I can feel Cassandra’s gentle touch on my arm as she comes to give me comfort. 

“What colour are her eyes?” Tina asks. 

“Green.” Cassandra answers, as I look at her and smile.

“Good.” Tina smiles and kisses my cheek. 

“Her eyes have always been green..” Monique says confused as she comes up beside us. 

“Rose’s eyes dulled to a stone gray when she fought those guys, it was scary.” Brad says as Yasmin hugs him. 

“I noticed that last week when she lost her temper with my brother.” Tina says as she holds me and my friends join in. 

“Rose, could you really have beat all those guys up?” Monique says in a worried tone. 

“Rose told the team that she’s a first dan black belt.” Tina says as she caresses my cheek. “She doesn’t like loosing her temper, but she will use whatever means necessary to defend herself and those she cares for - which is why I told you all to just keep back.” 

“So the 3 that you beat up..” Travis says. 

“Were the instigators, the others were jut a mindless mob. It was easy to scare them once I took the leaders out.” I say calmly. 

“I’ve never seen that side of Rose.” Monique says in a fearful tone. 

“Rose, they could have hurt you.” Coach says concerned. 

“It would take more than an untrained mob of idiots to hurt me.” I say annoyed. 

“You are a whole lot scarier now that I know what you can do when you are really angry.” Brad says in a worried tone. 

“That’s what my brother said.” Tina gives him a grim smile. 

“Come on, lets go home and forget this happened.” I say wearily. 

“Agreed.” Travis says as he takes my hand. 

Trent runs to the bus and gathers mine and Tina’s bags. 

“See you tomorrow.” Tina waves to them as we start making our way to Travis’ van. 

Monique looks like she wants to follow us to the van, she has this fearful worried look on her face. Yasmin hooks her arm and she looks around and nods, following her to Brad’s car. 

“I think you gave Monique a scare.” Travis says as I get into the passenger seat beside him. 

“Rose is fully aware of who she’s protecting. She’ll never hurt one of us.” Tina says confidently.

“You sound so certain.” Leilani says still in shock.

“I love you all too much to ever hurt any of you.” I reply calmly. I turn around. “I will never harm any of you.” 

Cassandra smiles at me lovingly. “Which is why Tina came up to you, she knew you wouldn’t do anything, but she needed to diffuse your anger?” 

“Yes.” Tina says. “I’ve never trusted anyone the way I trust Rose.” 

“Amazing.” Trent says from beside her. 

“Is that why I always feel so safe when she’s near?” Zoe probes. 

“I know I do.” Travis smiles. “Like that first day at school, where she kept those jocks from pushing us over. They didn’t even budge her, it was at that moment I knew that I was safe whenever she was near.” 

“We weren’t even dating then, you felt it that soon?” I say with a smile. 

“Sure did.” Travis turns and smiles at me. 

My phone pings.

-= Monique =- There’s that pickup truck following us.

I look behind me, and sure enough. Gus and his friend are following us. I text Angela. 

-= Rose =- Ask the driver to hang back and let us pass you. 

-= Angela =- Okay. 

The bus slows down in front of us, allowing ours and Brad’s cars to pull into the passing lane, and catch up with Brent’s car. 

-= Brianna =- That stupid pickup tried to pass with you. When the bus cut them off, they decided we were too big to play chicken with and turned off the last side road.

I shake my head. “We never go back to Twinbrooks alone.” I say with caution. “Gus and his idiot friends were trying to scare Brad off the road.” 

Travis shakes his head. “That’s one messed up redneck.” 

“Lets hope we never see them again.” I say leaning back in the seat.

Cassandra reaches forward and puts her hand on my shoulder. “It’s okay Rose, we can relax for the rest of the trip.” 

“Yeah…” I sigh and close my eyes. 

We’re quiet for a few minutes when Trent finally speaks up. “So first dan black belt?” 

“Yep.” I reply.

“Think you can show me some self defense moves?” he queries. 

“You know, starting a teen self defense course might not be a bad idea…” Travis backs up his comment. 

“When would I have time to run something like that?” I say wearily, calculating the coordination involved. 

“Run it on Saturdays, see if the school will approve of it.” Cassandra says catching on. 

“I’m not a licensed trainer. I’d have to reach master level for that.” I say frowning. 

“You can still teach us something.” Trent continues. “I mean, you were absolutely fearless taking on that mob.”

“That fearlessness is a trained response.” I turn and look at Trent. “When my adrenaline kicks in, I’m 100% precise in what I’m doing.” I turn around and cross my arms on my chest. “It’s what makes me a dangerous weapon.” 

Travis reaches over and caresses my cheek, causing me to relax. “You’re not dangerous, you’re protective.” 

“Let me think about it.” I reply. 

“I’m going to turn off onto the old road and drop you off first Rose.” Travis says as we approach the exit. 

I look into the rear-view mirror and I can see the look of not wanting to part on Leilani’s and Cassandra’s faces. “You can’t stay over tonight. I’ll be okay.” I say with a smile. 

“I don’t like leaving you alone when you’re upset.” Cassandra says in a worried tone. 

“I’ll be fine my love.” I turn and smile to her. 

“I want you to join us in game before going to bed.” She says insistently. 

“Okay, I will, but not too late, I still need to work in the morning.” I say, and my friends smile. 

Travis drops me off, and I grab my bags. As I come around the van’s driver side, Cassandra opens the passenger door. “Are you sure you’re okay?” My girlfriend’s some sort of empath, she can almost always feel my mood. 

“I’ll be fine.” I reassure her, reaching out to caress her cheek. 

She relaxes in my touch, and kisses my hand before reaching out to me. I put my bags down and step forward for her to give me a tender, loving kiss.

“See you soon in game.” She says softly, and lets me go so I can give my boyfriend a kiss goodbye. 

“Drive safe, see you soon.” I smile. And give him a long kiss. 

“See you soon.” He smiles. 

I grab my bags and blow Leilani a kiss as I back away from the van. She blows a kiss back, and I wait till they’re driving off to enter the house. I greet Barnes at the door and head up to the second floor. I open the door to the workout room, knowing I have almost 30 minutes till Leilani and Cassandra log on. 

The room is set up to serve 2 to 3 people: two treadmills, 2 universal gyms, an aerobics padded area with mirrors and a punching bag. Perfect, just what I need to blow of the rest of my steam. I put my bags down, take off my sweat top and shoes, leaving me in sweat pants and my t-shirt. 

I start abusing the poor punching bag, using it as a target dummy: punch, punch kick, followed by kick, kick, roundhouse. I’m building up a sweat as I repeatedly barehand strike, punch, and kick the bag. 

“Oh, there you are.” I hear Beth’s voice as I finish a double roundhouse at the punching bag. “Rose, where did you learn how to fight like that?” I suddenly hear her alarmed voice, as I grab hold of the punching back to get it stop swaying. 

I turn, grabbing a towel. “1st dan black belt, it was part of my intensive physical training. Thanks to my militant swim coach, learning to swim was akin to basic training.” I say with a frown. 

“And another door opens in my discovering my little sister’s secrets.” Beth says with a grim smile. “You weren’t in your room, I was surprised when one of the maids said she saw you head in here. I figured with a soccer game, you’d had enough of a work-out for one day.” 

“Normally you would be correct.” I say sitting down on bench, calming my heart rate. 

“What happened for you to need to take your frustrations out on the punching bag?” Beth says, sensing my motives. 

“Tina kissed me on the field. I noticed their team captain took offense to it, so I played up on her homophobia.” I start. 

“And got her thrown off the field.” Beth gets where my conversation is going. 

“After the game, there was a mob.” I say with a frown. “Of angry supporters that felt I was at fault for getting her thrown out of the game, and probably suspended from the next one. Poor sportsmanship and all..” 

“How many did you beat up?” Beth reads my body language. 

“Three. The others got scared off when I put down the one’s instigating the mob.” I look up at Beth who’s shaking her head. “I don’t **like** fighting!” I say sadly. 

“But felt compelled to protect you and your friends.” Beth says with a grim smile. “You are so much like Dave.” I look up at her surprised. “Your brother never backs down from a fight.” Beth says calmly, “And he’s always the one who walks away from it. I was hoping that was the one trait you didn’t share in common with him.”

“It’s my father’s Gaelic temper.” I frown. 

“Comes with your stubbornness, and your ability to drink someone under the table - when you get to that part in your life.” Beth comments. “I’ve known Dave for almost a decade, and have loved him for just as long.”

I look up at her and smile. “You’re eyes change colour with your mood like his does.” Beth continues. “I see the jade coming back now that you’re calming down.” 

“Is that how you always read me?” I inquire. 

“Usually.” She smiles. “And when you’re really happy, they turn emerald, that’s how I often know when you’ve slept with someone the night before.” She grins, leaning against the door. “The hickeys help figuring out who.” She leans forward. “I’m guessing today it was Tina, I’ve never seen the others leave an actual bite mark on you before.” 

I blush. “Tina’s rather vocal, she bit down on me to keep from making noise in the shower.” 

“This morning?” Beth raises an eyebrow, and shakes her head. “Speaking of showers, go wash up, you probably need to cool down from that work-out.” 


	53. Wednesday Night Gaming

Beth was right, the shower helped after my workout. The hot water drained the rest of tension away. I sit down at the computer in only my bathrobe, letting the terrycloth material deal with my still wet hair. As I log into game I can see that my girlfriends are just coming online as well, and I greet them happily.

“How are you feeling now Cannina?” Varielle asks as she comes up for a hug. Noting my voice is a lot calmer. 

“I took the rest of my frustrations out on the punching bag here at the manor’s gym, then took a hot shower. Feeling much more relaxed now.” I smile as our healer comes up for a kiss. 

Yàvië and Chris are the next to pop on, followed by Thornton. 

Thornton is sending a message to Nemarcus to get him and Byron to join us in game. 

A new druid Barthimus joins us and I immediate recognize Brent’s voice as he greets us. “You knew it was me?” he says surprised. 

“Took you long enough to get home.” Chris says sarcastically. 

“Actually I’m not home, I’m on my laptop at Amber’s place, she umm… wouldn’t let me leave.” His character blushes. 

“Hi everyone.” Amber’s voice comes on the line and we all smile. 

“You going to join us in game hun?” Yàvië asks. 

“I’m still not sure this is my thing.” Amber says as she watches her boyfriend do a random quest to get caught up to us. 

“We’re short one person to make a raid, let me see who I can ping then.” Thornton says as Nemarcus and Byron come in game. 

Sampson responds soon and pops up. “Anyone call for an exterminator?” He says grinning. 

“Sampson!” My girls and I say excitedly. 

“Now I really need to keep a watch out for you people, if I’m to get a reception like this every time I log in.” I can hear the smile in his voice. 

My girlfriends and I giggle. As he walks into the guild hall, I give him a hug. 

“If you’re hugs are this good in real life, I’m now jealous of Thornton.” Sampson chuckles. 

Varielle opens a summons, Sylvianna and I form the ritual circle to pull Barthimus through. 

“Can you do that anywhere?” He says as he pops into the guild hall. 

“Just need a soul gem from one of my abilities, two more people, and I can summon people anywhere.” Varielle grins. 

“That’s pretty cool” Sampson agrees. 

“Everyone ready?” Nemarcus asks before opening the portal, when we all nod, he opens a portal to the Occulus. 

This raid had proven a challenge to us when it first popped up, but the rewards are well worth the pain of downing the last boss before he pulls too many adds. The start of the raid is easy enough, kill off a few patrols, clear out a few corridors, it’s when you start getting to the lower levels and the bosses, that’s when it gets hard! The rooms are round with summoning gates at 5 spots on the walls, you have to predict where the mobs will spawn so that you can take them down before they overrun the tanks. The mobs will keep spawning as long as the boss is alive. With only Travis and Sampson, the rest of us need to pounce on the spawns as quick as possible. Two mages really help at damage and crowd control. 

Varielle learned a knew ability called doom wall, and any opponent who passes through it gets cursed. The more damage they do, the more healing they feed back to her, which she can then use for other abilities, such as channeling health to her demon. She also has this new demon pet that drains spellcasters of their mana. Today she’s using her void hunter to assist the boys in tanking. Our healers ignore her pet, so it’s up to her to keep it alive. 

Barthimus was right, the nature druid is so amazing. Not only does he has some major one-shot heals, the rest of his abilities heal over time, so he’s constantly channeling health to Sampson and Travis. Any extra healing bleeds off to the rest of the party as long as we stay close enough, it’s fantastic. It’s helping Sylvianna from having to drain so much of her mana, so she’s focusing on channeling area affect abilities to keep the whole party alive. 

“After today’s game, I needed this wind down.” Yàvië sighs as we’re between major fights. “How are you holding up Cannina?” 

“I took the brunt of today’s frustrations out on a punching bag here at home before coming into game.” I say without hesitation. 

“You have a gym in your house too?” Thornton says in surprise. 

“Yeah, it’s on the 2nd floor at the end of the servants’ quarters.” I reply. “It’s only really designed for two to three people though, it’s not quite the size of the gym downtown.” 

“So, not suitable for our group?” Varielle completes my next comment. 

“No, we’re already 5 with Pam & Tina, if Yàvië and Chris join us next week, there definitely wouldn’t be enough room for all of us.”

“I’m still thinking about it.” Chris says 

“Come one honey, it would be so much fun!” Yàvië says encouragingly. 

“I really can’t say ‘no’ to you babe.” Chris smiles and he walks up to her and they kiss. 

“Lets get going guys.” Sampson says noting that everyone is rested, healed and recovered.

We head on to the next boss, and the group stays together so that we can take down the first wave as fast as possible. Yàvië has learned a new ability, and her cat follows Chris around as they hunt together. I have frostbite defending our mages, so that I can focus on the waves of summoned creatures. Chris miscalculates is next opponents and gets swamped before he can shadowstep. Next thing I know Yàvië is leaping into the fray with a spear and ripping them apart. 

“No one touches my boyfriend!” She yells as she rips through the mob surrounding him. 

“Wow, the survival hunter is really cool!” Nemarcus comments as she has this bleed effect that helps heal her as she kills things. 

Chris recovers fast enough, and soon the pair are fighting side by side as she draws the opponents to her, allowing him and her cat to do more backstab attacks. 

Just as it looks like she’s not going to be able to handle the next wave on her own, I’m aiming as many volleys of arrows as I can to assist, Chris suddenly yells. “Death from above!” His character leaps into the air and his motions are hard to follow as he rapidly annihilates everything surrounding him. 

He stands there among the corpses and grins. “I love this new ultimate attack!” 

“Honey you are amazing!” Yàvië gives him a quick kiss before they run off and leap on the next wave. Yep, they are an amazing pair. 

Chris’ Death from Above attack takes a few minutes to recharge, but he uses it as a finishing move as he and Yàvië move from mob to mob. Chris being the information guru he is, has researched the rotation of the summons, so he and his girlfriend are always running off to the next spawn point. It allows Byron to and Yàvië to set up traps to hurt the initial wave of the summons. When either Sampson or Thornton are getting too hurt, Varielle has her void creature use it’s taunt, and she sits there and channels health to it till one of the boys pulls the boss off of it.

When the boss is finally down we’re repairing gear and recharging mana. Sampson walks up to Varielle. “I never knew the Warlock class was so powerful. I’ve never seen one be so effective in battle before.” He smiles at her. 

“I’ve seen some others play the class.” Varielle smiles back. “Most of them have no control of their demon pets, or are glass cannons in using destruction spells - with no regard as to the aggro they pull.” Her character takes a swig of a buff potion. “I learned that this class is all about controlling the field. Laying down spells to weaken and slow the opposition. Hug here, she pats her void hunter, is as tanky as I get.” 

“That’s amazing.” He smiles in admiration. “Hug?”

She giggles. “He runs into combat with his arms outstretched, like he’s going in for a big hug, I though it was appropriate.” 

Sampson smiles. “You and your friends are so much fun to play with.”

“Oh.” She reaches into her bag and pulls out two potions. “I just made these for you and Thornton, they increase your resistance by 10%.” 

“You’re getting pretty good at alchemy.” Thornton smiles as he takes his potion. 

“Don’t drink them yet though, they only last 20 minutes, and may not last the whole boss if you take them now.”

He stoppers the bottle and nods, slipping it into his belt pouch. “Got it, swig it before for next boss.” 

We head off down the last spiral leading to the end. I noticed that they’ve beefed up the patrols in this last section with yesterday’s update. It takes us longer to get through them, which is why Varielle didn’t want them taking the potion too soon. 

The boys take their potions before the last section, and we plow through the remaining patrols

“Wow, those potions really help against his area attacks.” Thornton comments as his health barely dips. 

“I only had enough mats for two, I’ll see about making more for next session.” My girlfriend says apologizing to the rest of us.

“Not me luv.” Chris says. “My mage slayer talent already gives me that, save it for the others.” 

“Remind my to never duel Chris.” Byron says with a grin. 

“I can two-shot most mages in PvP Chris says with a wicked grin. 

“Good thing he’s on our side.” Barthimus chuckles.

“Most groups talk tactics when fighting a boss.” Sampson chuckles. “Not your lot.”

“Chris sent us walkthroughs on this already.” Yàvië grins and she harpoon launches into the next wave. She’s having way more fun as a survival hunter, even in dungeons and raids.

“The way you all work together is amazing.” Sampson says. 

“Watch that left hook.” Sylvianna warns him as the boss is rearing up. His character suddenly dodges away from what would have been a deathly blow.

“You know, I hear that a lot with you four.” Byron comments. 

“My sister Beth likens us to a hive mind.” I chuckle. “We just work with each other with little to no arguments.” 

“Cannina has that affect on people.” Varielle smiles. “Duck!”

Both Thornton and Sampson do so, as the boss does a forward sweep. 

“Oof, that would have been my head!” Sampson exclaims. “I need to play with you all more often, you make runs fun!”

“Okay, we have a break before the next wave.” Chris says. “Take him down fast, or we might not survive the next round.”

We pour all of our power and pets into the boss and he falls as we see three portals flash. The portals go silent and we all breath a sigh of relief. 

“Yeah, two we could handle, three would have been too much.” Byron says sitting down and drinking to restore his mana.

We pour through the chest he drops and share the items. There’s a new chest piece for Sampson, a new staff for Byron, a magical ring for Sylvianna. Those who didn’t get items share the remaining non-useful items and coin. 

Being the leader, I get the trophy to put up in the guild hall as we all portal back home. We repair our gear, put the crafting mats in the guild vault, then repair and replenish our gear. The arrangement we have with the guild is that any and all crafting materials go into the guild vault, the guild has a perk where materials can be drawn from personal or guild vault when crafting, so this leaves anyone and everyone the ability to make whatever is needed. I hear that some of the guild members purposefully go on gathering runs to pick up the metals, gems, leathers and cloth that we’ll ever need. The only condition of the perk is that you need to be in the guild hall to access guild resources - meaning all crafting is best done here than on the field. It’s just as well, the guild has poured funds into providing a crafting room for the players. There are forges, anvils and specialty tables to reduce the costs of making things. 

I noticed mon oncle had sent me some new of his specialty obsidian and adamantine arrows. I’ll never find stuff like these in any shop. I thank him dearly and send him some extra gold for his gift. 

“Oh.. Wow!” Sampson suddenly exclaims beside me at the mailbox. 

I look at him, before I can ask, he pulls out some new armour. 

“My bid for the mithral plate set came through!” he says all excited. 

“Ooooh, shiny!” Sylvianna says. “Put it on!”

“Good thing I hadn’t bound that new chest piece!” he says happily. “I’ll put it in the vault, and this will be my main gear!” 

He takes off his armour and my cheeky nymp girlfriend whistles as he’s down to just his undergarment. He blushes for a moment before putting on the new armour set. 

“Wow! That is shiny!” Thornton says. 

“I’ll put a bid on the next one and see if I can get one for you man, this will double your current ac rating.” He says happily as she poses in front of us. 

We all clap and cheer, he’s fun to have around.

“I love how this guild works together.” Tarvel says having switched back to his bard to work on some new bags. Varielle looks at him oddly. “My druid is nothing more than a hunter and skinner, he’ll be good for material gathering and maybe cooking, but my bard is a much better crafter.” He explains why he switched toons.

I find enough leather in the vault to finish the supple leather set for ma tante, so I send them to her. I also show Chris the new jerkin I can make with the xp I’ve earned. 

“Can you dye that black?” he asks as he’s comparing the stats with what he’s wearing. “I loose a bit of speed, but it increases my stealth abilities by 20 compared to what I have now.” 

“Will do.” I say, looking into the dye and potions tab, noting there was enough for what I need. After a moment I hand him the jerkin. 

As he’s changing tops, Yàvië comes up to him. “Am I going to be able to see a bare chest like that in real life this weekend?” Her tone is seductive. 

“This weekend?” Chris squeaks.

“I’ll show you mine if I can see yours.” She says putting her arms around him. 

“Oh. So we get to play a game of show and tell?” He says catching on her her flirting. 

“The watering hole is the best place for that.” Amber says from Tarvel’s toon.

“That’s a wonderful idea.” Yàvië smiles. “It’s supposed to be a beautiful warm day too.” 

“No pressure, eh?” he says nervously. 

“No pressure handsome.” She purrs. “I need to log off, see you all tomorrow.” 

Once she gone he suddenly turns to us. “Umm.. Am I ready for this?” 

“Believe me dude, you’re never ready for it.” Thornton replies. “But it certainly will be worth it if she’s anything like my girlfriend here.” He says looking at me. 

“Well, I’m not sure she can hold her breath for almost 3 minutes for an underwater blowjob, but I’m sure the rest of it she can handle.” I say with a wink. 

“Underwater blowjob?” Amber says in surprise. “No honey, I’m not trying one of those.” 

“But honeyplum…” Tarvel starts causing us all to laugh. 

“You all are a riot.” Sampson chuckles. 

I turn and put my hands on Chris’ shoulders. “Just relax, and let nature take it’s course.” I tell him calmly. “Just don’t rush, be gentle, and I’m sure your instincts will do the rest.” I smile. 

“Yeah, take your time to explore, find out what makes her happy.” Thornton says putting his hand on mine. “Believe me, she’ll tell what feels good.” He winks. 

I lean over and kiss my boyfriend, then turn to Chris. “She knows what she’s getting into, let her guide your pace.” 

“Umm.. Okay.” He nods thoughtfully. “Should I bring condoms?”

“If it goes that far, might not be a bad idea.” Thornton smiles. 

Sampson watches the exchange. “This is your first time, isn’t it?” he inquires.

Chris blushes. “I never even kissed a girl before Yàvië, and she’s as amazingly hot in real life as her avatar is here in game.” 

“Wow man, it’s hard to find gamer girls to begin with, let alone cute ones.” Sampson says in amazement. 

“Present guild excluded?” Varielle teases. 

“Hey, you girls and Crystal are definitely the exception when it comes to chicks who dig games!” Sampson says. “I’d never even met a real girl in game till I joined this guild at launch.” 

“Really?” Sylvianna says curiously. 

“Oh yeah, you’ll find female toons here in game, but it’s usually some dude masquerading as an oversexed nymph to bait geeks thinking chicks really dig them.” He replies. 

“So Sylvianna is the only oversexed nymph that you’ve met that’s a real-life girl.” Thornton teases our girlfriend. 

“Hey! I’m not that bad!” She answers and we laugh. 

I walk up to our lovely healer and give her a tender kiss. “No, you are just adorably cute my love.”

“Apology accepted.” She says leaning into me. 

Sampson smiles. “Look, I gotta jet, I have a term paper due on Friday that still needs revision.” 

“Okay, thanks for the help.” Nemarcus smiles. 

One by one we log off, and I lean back in my chair and smile at the screen. I really do love this guild. Not yet have I seen an uncooperative of selfish player in our group. Tim, Travis and Brent seem to be really good at finding top notch players.

I check the Newcrest weather report for tomorrow. If I recall, that’s where the boys are playing their Thursday game. The weather report shows clear to the weekend. Good, the field will be nice and dry. 

I don’t bother getting into any type of night clothes, I make my way to the bedroom, and slip out of my robe, leaving it at the foot of my bed, and slide into the sheets. 

I take a deep breath, and smell the remnants of my loved ones on the pillows. I snuggle into Travis’ sent and fall asleep dreaming of my boyfriend. 


	54. Thursday Turnaround

I wake up to a song about Just a Girl. I turn the phone alarm off and stare at the canopy of my bed. “I wish I was.” I say to myself. 

I get up from the bed and do an extended stretch routine, I’m a little knotted this morning from yesterday’s game and fight. I’ve not had to use my muscles for combat for some time, and my body is complaining that I’m out of practice. 

As such, when Beth knocks on my door, I only have my underwear on, and sorting out the rest of clothes. After changing with the girls yesterday, I don’t think anything of it, when I come out of the bathroom, wearing nothing by a bra, panties and my unbuttoned shirt. 

“Oh, you’re not dressed.” Beth says with a bit of surprise. She looks me over for a moment. “I can see what your girlfriends find compelling…” 

“Oh?” I say curiously. 

“That body of yours doesn’t stop.” Beth says candidly. “You don’t need an hourglass figure to catch someone’s attention.”

“One of my support group called me an amazon: Lithe, with long legs, long hips, long body, wide shoulders, and stronger than most men.” I smile. 

“Well, if they are ever looking for a red-headed Wonder Woman, I’ll know who to recommend.” She says teasingly. “I’ll see you downstairs.” She smiles and closes the door.

I finish getting dressed and head downstairs. Beth is in the dining room eating French Toast.   
I notice that Elise left me a plate as well, so I sit down beside my sister and start to eat. 

“You going to watch the boys play again?” she asks. 

“That’s the agreement I have with them” I smile. 

“You sure you’re not dating anyone on the boys team?” Beth teases me for my commitment. 

“If Trent gets his way, I may soon be.” I reply. 

“You seem to fancy him, don’t you?” Beth comments. 

“He’s so sweet, and sensitive and strong. He’s like a non-geek athletic Travis. His serious crush on me doesn’t help.” I reply. 

“So, he’s the boy version of Tina?” Beth teases me more. 

“No fair, but …. Yes.” I say putting my head down. “I’ve tried to keep away from him, but every time we get together, he’s just so hard to resist.” 

“Why keep only one boyfriend?” Beth says quirking an eyebrow. 

“I don’t know. Travis just gets so jealous when other boys pay attention to me, I just don’t want to upset him.” I say with concern. 

“So you’re doing this for Travis’ sake. You tried to get one crush to date another crush, and now you have two crushes tag teaming for your affection?” 

“That’s what it’s become, yes.” I say with resignation. 

“Come on Rose, with your personality, how long do you think they would have been happy staying your friends?” Beth prods.

“A few months, at least till after the new year?” I say hesitantly. 

“I bet that’s what Cassandra said to herself till she saw her opening to become more than a friend.” Beth says observantly. 

“There’s no hope for me, is there?” I say in a worried tone. 

“You, sister, are amazingly attractive. Till you learn how to say no?” Beth shakes her head. “Not at all. Just try to learn to limit yourself before you’re dating half the school.” Beth winks and drinks some juice. 

“Thanks for the encouragement.” I grumble. 

Beth chuckles. “You are so cute.” 

I get this thought in my mind. “Why did Dave never talk about you when you were dating? I mean, you just seemed to pop up out of nowhere this summer.” 

“I don’t know.” Beth says thoughtfully. “Dave said I never wanted to know his family.” 

“Well, he’s not entirely wrong there.” I say thoughtfully. “My family is pretty messed up. Specially the Montgomery side.” I say without reservation.

“You do have a point there girl. When we announced our engagement, your mother was overjoyed and your father was trying to find what I was after.”

“Sounds like my father alright. I Sometimes wonder what mom sees in him.” I frown.

“Well, if you get a glimmer of your charisma from him, I can see the allure. He is a strong, stubborn, hard-working man.” 

“Heavy on the stubborn.” I grumble. 

“Do you think you’ll ever reconcile with your dad?” Beth inquires.

“My ‘dad’ lives in his house. To my father I’m nothing but a disappointment. I’ve never done enough to make him proud of anything.” I say angrily. 

“I’m sorry I opened an old wound.” Beth says sadly. 

“There is no pleasing a man who wishes I’d never been born.” I say bitterly, the tears forming in my eyes. 

“I’m sure he doesn’t think…” beth starts. 

“He’s said it plain to my face Beth, he hates me, why should I ever care what he thinks?!” I say angrily. 

“I’m so sorry.” Beth says. She turns and pulls me in for a hug as I cry on her shoulder. “No one should be felt like they are unwanted.” She says softly. 

After a few minutes, Beth gives me a squeeze. “Lets get to work before we’re late.” 

I merely nod into her shoulder, and she lets me go, I finish my juice, but leave my breakfast unfinished. 

We’re quiet for the first few minutes down the road. I’m just sitting there zoned out. 

“I’m really sorry Rose.” Beth says apologetically. 

I merely shrug. “There’s a reason why Dave and I don’t talk about certain things.” I say trying to contain my emotions. I close my eyes and take a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. 

“Does the meditation work?” Beth probes, trying to find a new topic. 

“Sometimes.” I give a weak smile. 

“What usually works?” Beth looks for some options. 

“When I’m in the arms of one of my girlfriends.” I say thoughtfully. “There is just something about their loving touch that drains all my negative emotions. Monique was the first to discover it, Cassandra’s the best at dealing with my emotional turmoil. It’s like she can sense what I’m feeling and responds to it quicker than the others.” I say thoughtfully “Her and Tina are the only two that really know how to turn my mood around.” 

“And the others?” Beth is curious.

Travis and Leilani find ways to change the topic, but the underlying upset never really goes away.” I take a deep breath. “Except when it comes to Leilani and sex, that’s usually her fall back to fix everything.” 

“Sex fixes everything?” Beth says surprised. 

“It sure helps make us happy.” I smile. 

Beth shakes her head and smiles. “That girl is almost as complex as you.” 

“Leilani is a comedic little goofball that can surprise you with how much she actually knows.” I smile. “But she’s really quite simple when it comes to things.” 

“Is that why you love her?” Beth queries. 

“Leilani’s innocence is refreshing. She sees things through young eyes and it helps me realize there are simpler things in life.” I say somberly. 

“There’s the mature woman coming out.” Beth comments. “So it’s her youthful innocence that you find so compelling?…” I merely nod. 

“And Cassandra?” Beth gets curious as to what I see in each of my loved ones. 

“Cassandra is the youngest of us all, but she holds an old soul. She can read me like a book, I can’t hide anything from her.” I reply. “I can tell her anything, and she never judges. I sometimes feel like she’s the other half of me that I’ve been searching for.” 

“Hence why you are so close, despite not having a sexual relationship. Have you thought what you two can achieve when you truly join?” 

“It scares me sometimes.” I say looking at the road.

“Why?” Beth says confused. 

“The way we are now, will I ever be happy with anyone else when we become intimate?” I say looking at Beth. 

“So, you think the two of you will become like Dave and I?” Beth catches on. 

“If she is the one, true love that I’ve been searching for, will I need anyone else in my life?” I say almost worried. 

“I don’t know.” Beth says as we pull into town. “Only time can answer that question.” 

“That doesn’t help” I frown. 

“Life is complicated.” Beth says. “If you want to believe in fate, then you may already have your answer.”   
“I was worried you say that.” I let got a deep breath. 

Is this why a part of me doesn’t want to push my relationship with Cassandra further? If she is my true love, there is no one who will compare to her once we finally join. Is that why I am so tempted to marry her? Or is because her mom said that Goth women stay virgins until marriage. That firm dedication. That devotion to only one love in your life. I both want and fear what she is looking for.

We pull up to the café and Monique is already there. I’m barely out of the car when Monique comes up to me and pulls me into a tight hug. 

“You scared me last night.” She says. 

“Monique, I will never harm you like that.” I say holding her close. “I only did what I did to protect you and the others. I am not a violent person, I don’t like hurting people - despite my martial arts training. I vowed to never be like my father, I will never harm those that I love.” I say in a soft voice. 

She looks up into my eyes, searching for the truth in my statement. She then relaxes against me. “Don’t scare me like that again, okay?” 

“Okay, I’ll try.” I give her a squeeze as Beth puts her hand on my shoulder to remind me that we need to open for the day. 

Monique lets go of me, but is quick to take my hand. I can feel her need for safety right now. It frightens her what I can do, but she can’t help but feel comforted by my touch. 

We get the café started for the day, and Monique’s mood today is best described as clingy. She’s not her usual flirtive self, she just has this constant need to be comforted. I can only imagine the dreams she had last night. 

“Do you need to see Leilani today?” Monique asks me halfway through our shift. 

“That’s where my school clothes are.” I remind her. 

I can tell she wants more time with me this morning, and I’m very tempted to agree.   
“If I can find you something to wear, can you please come home with me this morning?” She looks up into my eyes pleadingly, and I really can’t say no to her when she gives me that look. 

“Okay. I’ll message her later and apologize for not being there this morning.” I finally give in. 

She smiles and hugs me tight. That one promise seems to change her entire mood, and she starts going back to being her old self. By the end of shift she’s even started flirting. 

“So, you’re not going to see Leilani?” Beth says noting that Monique is hanging back for me. 

“My fight yesterday scared Monique, she’s never seen my lose my temper and I can only imagine the nightmares she had last night. She’s looking for comfort.” I say calmly. 

“I’d say she still has you tied around her little finger the way she can push you, but I can appreciate the change in her mood.” Beth says drinking her mug. 

“Tell me about it.” I roll my eyes. “When she gives me those brown puppy dog eyes, I just give in, I can’t say no to her.”

“Well, have fun.” Beth smiles. 

I go to say something and I just shake my head, is she reading something in Monique’s motives that I’m not?  
We get to her car and I notice her Dad’s not in the vehicle. “Where’s your dad?” I say confused. 

“Daddy had an early meeting, and Borland picked him up leaving me the car for the day.” 

“Oh, you know how to drive?” I say confused. 

“Of course I know how to drive, I just never get the car.” Monique says getting into the driver’s side. 

I toss my bag into the back seat and slide into the passenger side. “Hmm.. Monique, I don’t know how to drive.” I tell her. 

“Really?” she says surprised as she pulls out. I merely nod my head. 

As we make our way to Monique’s place, she takes my hand and places it on her knee, then goes back to both hands on the wheel, she still has that need for me to touch her right now. I give her knee a squeeze, she sighs and relaxes and asks me what I’m doing today. 

“So, if I can keep the car today, can I drive us out instead?” Monique offers. She’s up to her old antics, trying to find time for us to be alone. 

“Tina might insist on coming with us, would that be a problem?” I ask her. There is no way I am going to keep my girlfriend from joining us.

“No.” She smiles. Just as I thought. For some reason, her and Tina seem to get along. There’s not that constant battle for my affection with those two. This girl amazes me sometimes. 

We pull into her driveway and I’m sending a text message to Leilani, apologizing for not being there this morning. 

-= Leilani =- After Tuesday’s date, you’re forgiven, I still love these flowers. <3

“So, have you had breakfast yet?” Monique asks distracting me from texting my girlfriend. 

I send Leilani a hug back. “Um, sort of, you’re not the only one who was upset this morning, I never finished eating before we left.” I don’t tell her what I was upset about. 

“Do you want to build up an appetite first?” Monique asks suggestively. 

“So, is this why you wanted me to come home with you this morning?” I smile and put my arms around her.

“I really did need your comfort this morning.” Monique says, leaning into me. “But now that you’re here, we could enjoy a moment alone for a change.” 

“We could..” I smile. 

Monique lets go of me and guides me up the stairs. After my other girlfriends, will she be able to satisfy me again?

As Monique brings me into the bedroom she starts kissing me lovingly, gently. There’s no urgency that she often has when we’re making love - like she’s savoring the moment. 

We slowly undress each other, kissing all over, and relishing in the intimacy. Once naked, Monique gently pushes me down on the bed and we kiss and push against each other. 

“I want your tongue somewhere else, she purrs and turns around to present me her sex. 

We start a slow, teasing 69, working each other up to excitement. She is dripping wet by the time I reach her hole, and she moans on my hard-on as my tongue penetrates her folds. She stops sucking me off for a moment, sitting up and grinding into my face, her moans and gasps tell me I’m hitting all the right places as her juices continue to drip into my mouth. I can feel she’s getting close, so I stop tonguing her hole and latch on to her clitoris. Monique lets out a long moan and her orgasm floods my face as I start to hum on her nubbin. She goes back to sucking me to make sure that we both get off as I continue to please her clit. 

We lay there for a moment, breathing hard, gently caressing each other. “I’ve never had anyone get me off so hard the way you do…” Monique sighs contently. 

After a moment she turns around and starts kissing me again. “I think we’ll need a shower before breakfast.” She says in a seductive tone, her movements are getting me hard again. 

It doesn’t take long for us to both be ready for the next round, and she moans and sigh as I penetrate her. I don’t know if she’s just so horny, but I don’t remember Monique being so tight as I slowly sink deeper into her vagina. She has this look of concentration as she rides me, savoring every motion. Is she doing this on purpose?

She sits up and starts bouncing up and down, I bring my hands up so that she can clasp them and keep better balance, and the feeling is amazing. It’s only been a couple of weeks since we’ve made love, but Monique’s motions aren’t rushed, she’s purposefully focusing on the feeling of our joining, and the sensation is like nothing I’ve had with her before. 

Soon, I can feel her first orgasm come on, as she starts working against me harder, sitting up, I’m hitting a different angle and she’s really loving it. As her vagina clamps down on my member, I can’t help but join her as her second wave hits. We both moan and savour the joys of cumming together. The feeling is so satisfying. 

Monique doesn’t try for me getting off a second time. After we’re both spent, she lays on top of me and sighs. We lay there for a moment, holding each other, reveling in our mutual bliss. 

“Wow!” Monique says after a moment and looks into my eyes. “That was so good.” She smiles dreamily. “I could feel you get off, it was more than when I gave you the blowjob.”

“It just felt so good, I kept on cumming as long as you did.” I sigh. “I’ve never felt like this with you before.” I smile and kiss her forehead.

“It’s been so long, I didn’t want to rush it this morning.” Monique coos. “That actually felt better than when we’re in a hurry.”

“Just when I think I know you, you seem to surprise me.” I smile. 

I slide out of Monique as she pulls herself forward. I can see the look of loss on her face for a moment. 

“Come, let’s take a shower.” 


	55. Thursday Morning & School

The shower was definitively welcome. I’ll smell like Lilac today as Monique expertly works out the knots in my muscles. 

“You really overdid yourself yesterday.” She says as she works along a hard knot on my shoulder. 

“The game was hard, and the fight didn’t help.” I say as I do my best to relax to assist in her massage. “I did an extended stretch this morning, but obviously missed a few spots.” 

“You should do this after game.” Monique says in a motherly tone. 

“I took a shower last night, but the pulse setting doesn’t quite match what your fingers can do.” I sigh as her fingers slide from my neck to my shoulder to stretch the Trapezius muscle. “Oh, yes, that one right there.” I moan as she stretches it again. 

Once my back is relaxed, I turn and do Monique’s favorite shower activity: washing her hair. She loves it as I work my fingers into her scalp. She leans against me as I lather her hair and give her a head massage at the same time. Then I massage it some more as I work all the soap out. 

“My head and hair always feels so much better when you do this.” She sighs. 

Our time in the shower is intimate and sensual, but not sexual. It’s so comforting to have her in my arms and hold and cherish her body.

We’re getting dressed, and she hands me back the sweater I lent her a few weeks ago. She hands me one of her long skirts. This one goes down to her ankles on her, but just barely passes my knees. 

“Your legs and hip are so long.” She says as she pulls on a skirt for herself. “I’ve never dated someone where my chest only comes up to their waist.” She smiles.

Breakfast today is simple, as we took a long time getting to food. We sit and have cereal together, something I’m not used to eating. Monique finds it comical that I’m analyzing each bite, trying to sort out the flavours in her Harvest Crunch blend. Our discussion gravitates to the dance. 

“So, you are taking Tina and Cassandra to the dance?” She says surprised. 

I was originally taking only Cassandra, when Tina and I started dating last week, I wasn’t going to leave her to go alone.” I reply. 

“You’ve always had this connection with her, how did it evolve further?”Monique asks curiously.

“I had a small meltdown on the bus to Newcrest, Tina instinctively comforted me and holding her felt just so natural.” I say trying to remember how we suddenly became more than friends. “As I thank you, I kissed her, and that seemed to open the door to her affections. Saturday we made love, and it was magical.” 

“Oh.” Monique says. 

I take her hand. “Monique, I did for her what you did that first movie night, I’ll never forget our first night together.” 

Monique relaxes and smiles. “You are magical.” She says in a soft tender voice. “So, like me, you weren’t her first relationship?” 

“No, she’s had boyfriends in the past, but nothing like what we share.” I say. 

“I know that feeling.” Monique sigh happily and squeezes my hand. 

“So, I was thinking…” I start, and she gives me a curious look. “I want you to take Tom Sommers to the dance.” 

“You want me to date Tina’s brother?” Monique says surprised. 

“Just for the dance.” I say. “I hear he’s brutish, and rude, you probably don’t want to have more than one date.”

“He’s an obnoxious moron, no, I’m not taking him to the dance.” Monique objects, “I’ll go with Marsha, we’re taking each other as friends.”

“You won’t get an argument from me on that.” I say with a grim smile. 

“Wait… You don’t like Tom, do you?” Monique says, catching on. 

“Like you said, he’s an obnoxious moron.” I reply with a touch of annoyance. 

“Did you and Tom get in a fight? Is that why he was all bruised on Friday?” 

“Tom decided to do a test of strength, when I showed him up, his bruised ego got the better of him, and he tried to hit me.” I reply scooping up the last of my cereal. 

“Tried to hit you?” Monique raises and eyebrow. 

“Tom has a short temper, when he’s angry, there’s no calculation to his punch, it’s just blind rage - and easy to counter. When Tina told me not to hurt him, I … well... Threw him two meters so that he could land in the grass.” 

“You threw a boy twice my size two meters onto the grass?!” Monique’s eyes go wide. 

“Between parked cars.” I nod. “I wanted him to land someplace soft. Muscle density wise, I’m twice Tom’s strength, it was like picking a fight with a heavy weight - and he lost.” 

Monique releases my hand and moves up my arm. Feeling the muscle underneath. When she gets to the bicep, she takes a deep breath. “I knew you were strong, but that’s incredible.” She says in a distant voice. 

“I was trained to be a weapon.” I say without emotion. “First dan black belt in mixed martial arts. I’ve been taught to quickly and efficiently disable and disarm my foe.” 

“Which is why you went after the guy with the knife, you didn’t want Brad to get hurt?” I nod. “And how, with one punch to the side, the other just crumpled like a rag doll.” She says still feeling my arm and shoulder muscles. “You’re moves are defensive, you’d never hurt me, would you?” She looks into my eyes. 

“I could never harm someone I love.” I smile and she reaches forward for a sweet loving kiss. I could feel our connection change at that point. Like Tina, Monique’s trust in me became stronger, knowing that I would always protect her.

“I want you to wear your blue dress for the dance on Friday.” I say as we drive to school. 

“That’s my prom dress.” Monique says defensively. 

“I have a much prettier dress in mind for prom.” I smile.

“You are going to spoil me now are you?” Monique gives me a coy smile. 

“If I can’t spoil my girlfriend, who else can I?” I say with a smile of my own. 

“That’s the first time you’ve called me that since we first broke up.” Monique observes. 

“I’m sorry love, but I needed time to adjust to us being together again.” I say apologetically. 

“I guess I’ve been really mean the past week. I can see why you’d hesitate to open your heart to me again.” She says somberly. “So what’s the deal with you and Travis?” she says with a frown.

“I love him.” I say without hesitation. 

“But I didn’t think you liked boys that way, that comment at supper, he doesn’t touch your cock at all, what do you get out of it?” 

“He loves me like a woman, there is another hole to use..” I say with a smile. 

“Oh.. So you play with his, he does you from behind, and so you’re both happy.” Monique says catching that my sexual experience with Travis is anal. 

“I’ve never had someone make me feel the way he does.” I sigh. “It’s like that boobie-gasm you give me, but tenfold when I get off.” 

“He can make you orgasm?” Monique says surprised. 

“Like nothing I’ve ever experienced before.” I smile fondly. “The difference between male and female orgasms is so amazing. I sometimes feel sorry for guys who don’t experience a full body orgasm like a woman can.” 

“You are amazing.” Monique smiles. “So you two share a straight relationship.” 

“We do.” I smile. 

“Which is why no one else at school has figured out that you’re transgender, they just think you’re bi - seeing as Travis is a straight male.” 

“Exactly.” I smile. 

“And there’s no other boys?” Monique says curiously, pulling into the school parking lot. 

“Not yet, it’s a tricky situation to let a guy close to me.” I frown. 

“Cause you’re more endowed than most guys, you’re afraid of penis envy.” Monique catches on and I give a nod. 

We hold hands as we start towards the school when I hear Tina’s voice behind me. I turn and catch my girlfriend as she leaps into my arms for a deep, passionate kiss. 

“You two should get a room.” Tom says as he walks up to join us. I give him a dirty look and he takes a half a step back. Monique watches the exchange. “So, you and Rose were holding hands..” He says to Monique, changing topics.

“We were.” Monique looks at me and smiles lovingly. 

“The colour her eyes are now, I’d say they were up to more than just that.” Tina teases me causing Monique to blush. 

“I thought you two broke up.” Tom says slightly annoyed. 

“I couldn’t stay away from Rose.” Monique says fondly. “She agreed to give our relationship another chance yesterday.”

“I don’t know how you do it.” He says looking at me. 

“It’s about love and compassion Tom.” I say as Tina wraps her arm around my waist. “If you lose the attitude and thought of more than yourself for a change, you’d get a girl like Monique.” 

Tom looks like he’s about to argue, but backs down. He puts his hand up, trying to find the words, but just takes a deep breath and shakes his head. I move a bit as he passes between Monique and I. Tina has a smirk on her face. 

“You enjoy that your brother is afraid of me, don’t you?” I ask her. 

“Best means to win an argument with him I’ve had in years.” She says with a cheeky smile. 

“So, what were you two up to this morning?” she says with a coy smile, her hand drifting down to cup my bottom. 

“We were reconnecting.” Monique says with a coy smile, hooking my arm.

“Hmm.. I bet.” Tina says with a dreamy smile. 

We start making our way back to the school doors, nearly catching up with Tom. I have to hold Tina back a bit, we walk faster the two of us than Monique is used to, and I can see she’s straining to keep up our pace. We part ways with Monique at the doors, as her locker is in the senior wing. I give my girl a loving kiss and then Tina and I pick up our pace. 

“Are you always so gentle with her?” Tina asks as we make our way to her locker. 

“She still needs comfort from my scaring her with yesterday’s fight.” I say. “Usually she’s very aggressive.” 

“Like me?” Tina teases. 

“You, girlfriend, are passionately insistent, I much prefer your methods.” I smile at her lovingly. 

“So, still better in bed?” she teases. 

“You’re incorrigible, but yes, still better in bed.” I give her a cunning smile. 

“Good.” She grins, gives me a loving kiss and heads to her locker. I shake my head at her antics, she’s too much sometimes.

Cassandra and Travis soon join me at our lockers. “I missed you this morning.” She says sadly as Travis gives me a kiss as he walks by. 

“Sorry love. Monique wanted some time together, she was still rattled by the fight last night.” I say apologetically. 

“With the look in your eyes, I’d say the comforting went really well.” She says slightly annoyed. 

“Yes, I slept with her this morning, it’s how our relationship started Cass.” I walk up to my girlfriend. “She doesn’t do for me what you do.” I say softly caressing my girlfriends cheek. 

She relaxes and leans against me. “What do I do for you Rose?” she says looking for validation in our relationship. 

“We have a deep emotional bond my love. One that no one can ever break. No woman will ever replace you.” I put my arms around her and she snuggles into me. 

“Everything just feels so right when I’m in your arms.” She sighs. “It’s like all my fears and worries and doubts just fade away.” She looks into my eyes. “You’re eyes are even brighter now than before you held me.” She says studying my face. 

“You do that for me all the time.” I say with a smile and we kiss tenderly. 

We hug and then head off to the chemistry lab. I have my boyfriend and my girlfriend’s arms around me. I feel a touch on my right arm and take Leilani’s hand as Travis puts his arm around her. Tina is soon coming up on my left, and I reach my hand for her. It seems the other students have gotten used to us walking down the hallway like this. No one gets in our way or gives us any dirty looks, if anything I get a look of wanting from Sarah as we meet her at the lab door. 

As we’re settling down at our lab station Leilani cuddles up against me. I’m pretty much the only reason she’s passing this class this year. Sciences and math are Leilani’s weakest topics, for the exception of biology. She seems to be doing really well with that, specially this year, as we’re focusing on human biology.   
Zoe comes into class and comes up for a quick good morning kiss before she joins Chloe at the table behind us. 

Today we’re studying Quantities in Chemical Reactions, we start with simple things, like how much salt or sugar can a quantity of water take before it can no longer dissolve, and just sits at the bottom. And how the temperature of the water can affect the process, the warmer it is, the more you can dissolve. And how adding ingredients can change the boiling point of objects. Like adding salt to water can increase how hot it’s boiling point becomes. The lab moves up from there, and it’s really neat to experiment with different substances.   
I kiss Leilani as she heads off to Economics next, she’s not in our physics class, giving Tina a chance to sit beside me, and Zoe to regain her seat behind me. That my girls move around me without any arguments or competition is amazing. 

Sophomore Math comes up, and Trent gives me a kiss right in class before settling down beside me. To say we have a few surprised looks is an understatement. We are quite cuddly as we work on our class work at the end of class. I’ve even gotten bold and doodled a heart in his exercise book, I didn’t want to fall for this handsome brunette, but I guess I have. 

We walk out of class hand in hand, and make our way to the lockers. As we make our way into the cafeteria, he makes no hesitation to let go of my hand and give Zoe a long loving kiss. They cuddle and eat lunch together, catching up with their day. I shake my head, like me Trent is managing to separate his feelings for Zoe and I. 

“Bobby said no lunch-time game today. So, Newcrest?” Travis asks. 

“Yes, Trent confirmed that during Math, but Monique has offered to drive me out.” I say hesitantly. 

Travis’ expression changes, I can tell he’s not happy with the comment. “So, you don’t want me out there with you today?” He says mildly annoyed. 

“She’s trying to reconnect, and I figured it could help you save on gas.” I say carefully, I don’t like upsetting my boyfriend. 

“Is this going to become a regular thing?” Travis is no longer hiding his annoyance. 

“I… I don’t know.” I say reaching my hand out for him. When he takes my hand. “You’re the one I’m dancing with tomorrow night.” 

I can see his smile return. “She’s not going to ask for a dance?” he quirks an eyebrow. 

“I don’t know, but you’re the one who’s taking me and the girls to the dance. You’ll be the first one to see me in my dress.” I offer some good points to loosing me for the afternoon. 

“I look forward to seeing that killer suit to go with it.” Cassandra says with a smile, she’s the only one who’s seen the entire outfit range I’d chosen. 

This distracts Travis enough. “So you’ve seen all the outfits she’s ordered?” he says looking at his best friend. 

“Yep!” Cassandra says in a teasing tone, popping a carrot in her mouth. “You are all going to love the ensemble she’s chosen.” She says with a grin. 

“So, I don’t get to see this beautiful suit till tomorrow?” Tina says quirky and eyebrow. 

“I’d like it to be a surprise.” I say with a coy smile. 

“You did get me a pantsuit, and not a dress?” Tina probes. 

“Absolutely my love.” I say tenderly. 

“So why a pantsuit?” Zoe gets curious. “I have this non-corset southern bell dress to go with Trent’s blue suit.” 

“I don’t like dresses.” Tina says scrunching her nose. “So, will Monique be driving Zoe and I out with you?” Tina says changing topics.

“There would be no room for Trent on the way home.” Travis objects, he’s been looking for an excuse to come out anyway, and just found it. 

“So you’re going to make the trip out anyway?” I give my boyfriend a look. He’s not going to leave Monique and I to be alone the whole game.

“Absolutely.” He says looking into my eyes, I’m not going to argue this subject with him. I can see it in his face, he’s set on being there. I finally nod and smile, and he relaxes. 

“In that case, I’m coming with you.” Cassandra announces.

I put my arm around my girlfriend and whisper in her ear. “You don’t trust her do you?” 

“No more than Travis does. She may have taken you from me this morning, but I’m not leaving you alone with her for supper.” Cassandra responds, looking into my eyes. 

“Next Saturday, I am going to treat you to supper to show you just how special you are to me.” I whisper seductively in her ear. 

Cassandra melts into me and kisses my neck. It’s the first time that she’s done that, and the feeling is electric. “Okay” She says in a soft voice.

Not wanting to be left out, I can feel Leilani lean against my back, slowly, sensually caressing my back. I break my hold with Cassandra before the two of them start getting me horny. 

“Do you think we’ll ever be like that?” Penny asks Chris softly, I can barely hear her words. 

“We’ll see after this weekend?” Chris ventures, he’s going to take Penny up on her offer. 

Penny gives him this coy seductive smile, and then leans into him. 

Chris has this look on his face, of ‘What am I getting into?’ Brent pats him on the shoulder and smiles. “Relax man.” He chuckles, and I finally see Chris’ shoulders relax as Penny snuggles into him deeper. 

“So, Brent…” Trent says looking at the usual way that he snuggles into Amber and not the other way around. “Why is it she holds you, and you snuggle in, and not the other way around?” 

“Amber’s stronger than I am, it feels really good when she holds me.” He smiles. 

“I just love it when my cuddly bear snuggles into me.” She says lovingly and pulls him in closer.

“Who am I to argue.” he smiles, putting his arm around her back, and leaning against her chest. 

“It’s cause she has pillows.” Cassandra says cheekily, sliding down to use my chest as a cushion.” 

“See, she has it.” Brent smiles and we laugh lightly. 

“So that’s why you always cuddle her in the front.” Tina say with a smile. 

“If I’m going to date a girl for a change, I might as well take advantage of what assets she has.” Cassandra say playfully, leaving us the laugh again. 

It’s then that I realize that Cassandra loves me as a girl, the way Travis does. It’s the geek in me: my soft, romantic feminine side that attracts her. It’s not about my muscular body, or what’s between my legs. Our romance is a level beyond the physical. It’s what differs how our relationship is compared to my lovers. 

The bell rings and we start filing out of the cafeteria. Cassandra and Leilani hold me close with Travis trailing behind us holding my hand. 


	56. Thursday Afternoon

Monique is standing just outside of the doors as we exit the cafeteria. My loves let me go as she reaches out for a hug. 

“Still picking you up after class?” She asks sweetly as she holds me. 

“Absolutely.” I say with a smile. 

“See you then.” She pulls me down for a loving kiss. 

As she lets go of me, Yasmin comes in for a hug. Brad looks uncomfortable as she hugs me close. “See you this afternoon.” She says hanging off my neck. She gives me a kiss on the cheek and hooks her boyfriend’s arm as she joins Monique and her friends. 

“She’d get more than a kiss on the cheek if she could get away with it.” Cassandra says sliding her arm around my waist. 

“Yes, she was holding herself back for his sake.” I say with a sigh. 

We split up to get our Language Arts books, before gathering again and heading off to class.

Gym class comes next, and coach Roberts is in his office. As I enter is office, he tells me to go change with the girls. I start to object, and he puts his hand up. "I’ve seen you head in with the girls team to change with your soccer team. If they have no problems, then I don’t either. Go change with the girls."

“Yes coach.” I smile and run to the girls room to change. 

To say that my girlfriends were overjoyed to see me walk into the change room is an understatement. My girls and soccer team literally form a barrier between me and the rest of the class so that none of the other girls can catch a glimpse of my tucking my bulge under me and change into my shorts and t-shirt. 

“I’ll never get over how you can do that.” Tina smiles as Cassandra watches me in fascination. 

“Well it doesn’t look that big soft.” Penny says quietly, so that her voice isn’t heard outside of our cluster. 

“I suppose your right.” Cassandra says thoughtfully. She’s recalling Saturday night when she could see the outside of my hard-on through my swimsuit after making out with my lovers. “But it doesn’t stay that small.” She says candidly with a dreamy look. 

“I offered to take it out so you could see how it works.” Leilani teases her, leaving Cassandra to blush. 

“Give her time.” Tina says putting a comforting hand on our girlfriend. 

“More for me till she is.” Leilani says with a cheeky grin.

“Behave you.” I say in a playful voice. Leilani giggles, reaches up and gives me a kiss before running out with Penny. 

"So what led you to join us today?” Tina asks as we exit the change room. Her and Cassandra are holding my hands. 

"Coach told me it’s time I be treated like the rest of the girls.” I say with mild concern. 

“You worried he’s going to get in trouble?” Cassandra reads my worry, and I nod. 

We join the others and start running around the edge of the gym. Tori catches up to us and smiles. “It was nice seeing you in the change room with the rest of the girls Rose. Is your medical condition taken care of?” 

“It’s under control.” Tina smiles before I can respond. 

“That’s great to hear.” She smiles and falls back to run with her friends Amanda and Brenda.

“Thanks I smile and we join hands briefly before continuing to run. 

Coach blows the whistle and we all gather in the middle of the room, catching our breath. Coach notes that my girls and I are all together in a group, Zoe included. Today we’re going work on slam dunks. It requires a lot of coordination, as you can only take so many steps with the ball before being flagged for traveling. He bounces the ball to Tina. My girlfriend gets good air and flawlessly dumps the ball without even touching the rim. 

“Now some of you may take awhile till you’re as good as Tina here.” He says with a smile and the girls giggle. “Montgomery?” 

He bounces the ball to me.. I calculate the basket height, he’s lowered it a bit to make it easier for some of the girls who can’t jump as high. I start to dribble the ball an repeat my girlfriends motions. Next up is Leilani, who’s probably our weakest jumper. I hang back by the basket, and - sure enough - she miscalculates her jump, the ball hits the rim, hitting her forehead and she falls. The class barely has time to gasp before I’m catching her from a hard rump landing. She puts her arms around me, and I kiss her red forehead. 

“That feels better.” She smiles as I put her down. 

“You might want to just stay there…” Coach advises me as Zoe goes next. She manages to sink the ball, but lands wrong and stumbles forward into my arms. She hugs me as she runs back with the others. 

I end up catching 8 other girls more than once before the class manages to get the motion of the jump and dunk down pat. Brenda repeats Leilani’s fumble, and blushes as I catch her in my arms. I gently put her back on her feet and she runs over to Tori and the girls get all excited. _Oh dear, I think I have a new puppy_ … 

Gradually the girls get better, and I’m catching them less, so I look over at the boys and notice that they are not fairing any better than the girls are, only they don’t have anyone to catch them. Travis notices me watching him and he blows me a kiss. I blush and turn and catch Tori as she trips and comes flying into my arms. 

“Are you okay?” I ask with concern as she winces. I hold up my hand and have her sit down. 

“It hurts a little.” She winces again as I take off her shoe. 

I check out her foot, and ankle, testing pressure points, finding the sore spot on the inside by her joint. I massage into the foot, to test the severity of the damage and she sighs. 

“It looks like a mild sprain, fortunately you didn’t do any serious damage, it’ll be sore for the rest of the day, but should be fine tomorrow if you take a nice hot bath tonight.” I say softly gently trying to ease the pain. I test a couple of other spots up the calf. “Does that hurt?” 

She shakes her head, and her face is flushed. “Okay, so you didn’t pull any ligaments or cause any nerve damage.” I say calmly tracing her muscle groups. “I’d sit out the rest of gym class just to ease the stress, okay?” 

Tori nods and smiles. “Thanks Rose, where did you learn to do that?” 

“Yes, where did you learn to do that?” Coach Roberts says checking on us. 

“I finished my lifeguard certificate this spring. I was swim councilor for the summer youth swim program at Foxbury University.” I explain. “Part of the training is physiotherapy for injuries.” 

“Nurse Dot’s going to be jealous of those talents.” Tina says coming to see how we’re doing. 

“You have any ice coach? It’ll help bring down the swelling so she can get her sneaker back on.” I ask and he nods. “You’ll be fine, just relax.” I say softly. I give her knee a squeeze and then take Tina’s hand as we run back to the others. 

“I think you gained new puppies this gym class.” Tina teases me. 

“Hush you.” I say playfully and she giggles. 

We organize the girls into taking free shots until the coach is done dealing with Tori. He thanks us and we continue with the free throws till he sends us off to the lockers. Amanda and Brenda are helping Tori keep the weight off her ankle as she hobbles into the locker room. I already have my shirt off and standing in my bra when I look past my friends. 

“Hows the ankle Tori?” I asks with concern. 

“Better, thanks to you.” She smiles bashfully. 

“Do you have another puppy?” Cassandra says quietly behind me. 

I smile to Tori and turn around. “I think so.” I say softly and give my girlfriend a kiss. I hear some of the other girls say ‘awe’ as we break our touching moment. Leaving Cassandra blushing. We finish getting dressed. 

“Let’s get to class.” I smile and she nods, taking my hand. 

Travis catches up with us as we animately talk about who was getting really good at the slam dunks. Leilani has her arm around me, so I reach out and take Travis’ hand. 

“Who are you taking to the dance tomorrow Rose?” Brenda asks catching up to us. 

I look behind me and Amanda is still helping Tori in walking. Tori is putting a bit more pressure on her foot, but leaning on her friend to take the full weight off of it.

“I’m taking these two lovely ladies on my left.” I say with a smile. 

“Not your boyfriend?” She says watching mine and Travis’ hands play against Leilani’s butt. 

“No, my blond handsome hunk is taking me.” Leilani says leaning against Travis. Okay, maybe we’re playing with her butt too much, she’s a little turned on right now.

“We’re 5, so Rose wasn’t about to leave one of us out.” Tina smiles and squeezes my hand. 

“I see.” Brenda says thoughtfully. 

“You’re coming to the dance, right?” I ask, trying to ease the tension. 

“Oh, yeah, the girls and I are going the 3 of us, we don’t have any dates.” She says sadly.

“Maybe next dance.” I smile. “Cute girl like you is bound to get someone’s attention soon.” 

Brenda blushes and thanks me for the compliment. “I should check on Tori.” She says hesitantly before going back to her friends. 

“Do you think she was trying to ask you something?” Cassandra queries.

“She’s testing to see if Rose will return her affections, just like I did when I first started developing a crush for her.” Tina answers.

“I didn’t think Brenda was queer.” Leilani says quietly. 

Tina shrugs. “I didn’t think I was queer either till I fell in love with my team captain.” She smiles as we get into social studies. 

We get out of class, and - oddly enough - Travis is parked right beside Monique. My girlfriend is waiting for us at the car, leaning her backside on the hood. 

“She does have some good assets.” Tina says as the breeze blows Monique’s short hair. 

“Yes, she does.” I smile. 

“Say, can I ride with you?” Tina asks. “I love the back seats of a Buick.” 

“I already warned Monique you might be joining us.” I squeeze my girlfriend’s hand. 

“See you soon.” I give Travis a kiss before he goes to the driver’s side of the car. Leilani turns to me. “And you, my little minx, behave. I’ll see you tomorrow.” 

My girlfriend giggles and gives me a playful kiss. “See you tomorrow lover.” 

Tina is already heading off to talk to Monique, leaving Cassandra and I alone. Zoe is already getting into the van with Leilani. 

“I want you to behave today.” I say to Cassandra in a serious tone. She looks at Monique and I pull her face back to look at me. “I know you don’t trust her, but she’s not competition. She will never take your place in my heart.” I say softly. 

Cassandra puts her arms around me and holds me tight. “Okay.” She says finally relaxing. “See you soon.” 

I give her a long loving kiss and she melts into my arms. She looks into my eyes after our kiss. “There’s that lovely green again.” She smiles. She gives me another quick kiss before climbing into the van beside Travis.   
Tina is already settling in the back seat, but Monique is still waiting outside of the car as Travis pulls out. “She doesn’t like me.” My girlfriend pouts. 

“Give her time, she’s still worried you’re going to take me away from her.” I say as I give Monique a soft kiss before going around to the passenger side. 

“The way she looks at you, I don’t think I ever could.” Monique says as she settles beside me. 

“She’s still young, I’m her first serious relationship.” I say as I pull the seatbelt on. 

“I can understand that feeling.” Monique says looking behind her before pulling out. 

“I don’t think anyone loves you like she does.” Tina says from the back seat. “I mean, you haven’t slept together and she’s already head over heels in love with you.” 

“You haven’t slept with her?” Monique says surprised. “The way she holds and looks at you…” she blinks. “Wow.” 

We spend the trip to Newcrest signing to songs on Monique’s playlist. We make a pretty good trio, as Tina and Monique play back up singers to the songs. I’m glad Tina and Monique get along so well, there’s no competition with them, they have this understanding that none of my other loves have, it’s refreshing.   
After one particular love song, Monique looks at me tenderly. “Rose?” 

“Hmm?” I say happily enjoying this trip. 

“Can I ask for at least one dance tomorrow night?” she says softly. 

“Sure.” I say with a smile. 

“You start hogging the girlfriend though, I have the right to cut in.” Tina says playfully. 

Monique giggles and smiles. “Agreed.” 

My voice drops as the next song comes on ‘She’s so High’ and I have my girlfriends quietly watch me as I sign the song in my original soprano voice. 

“Wow.” Tina says as the song finishes. “Is that how you used to sound like?” 

I swallow and switch my intonation. “When I sang, yes.” I smile. 

“Can you talk like that still?” She asks curiously. 

“Well, I’ve sort of trained myself out of that, and my Adam’s Apple has shifted, so it’s not as deep as it used to be.” I say hesitantly. 

We pull into Newcrest and I guide Monique to the school, I know these streets almost as well as I know Willow Creek. We get to the school before the bus and Travis, so we make our way up to the field. As we find our way to the visitor’s stands, that are just starting to fill, I hear my name from the home team side. I smile and turn as she comes running over. 

I give Veronica a big hug as she greets me. She’s dressed a bit more femme than usual. “Slowly working at coming out at school?” I venture with a low voice. 

“I’m trying.” She smiles, even her voice is a higher pitch than when we last met She’s been using the voice training I’d suggested. “I’m working with the school admin, and they’ve advised the teachers. I figure I can fully come out after Winter break. 

“That’s great!” I smile. “I’m so happy for you.” I turn to introduce Ronnie to my girls. 

“Veronica, these are my girlfriends Tina and Monique. Veronica is one of my online support group friends, and I’ve been working with her as she starts her transition.” I’m keeping my voice down so that it doesn’t extend further than the four of us.

Monique’s expression changes from suspicious to friendly, and she extends her hand in greeting. “Nice to meet you”, she says politely.

“Any friend of Rose’s is a friend of mine.” Tina says stepping forward and giving Ronnie a quick hug. 

“Where are the rest of your friends?” Ronnie asks. 

“Just arriving.” A happy Cassandra says coming up to us. She slides past Monique and puts her arms around me, giving me a long loving kiss. “Miss me?” she says in a playful voice. 

“Always.” I give her a loving smile. 

“The boys have just gotten here.” Travis says as he comes around. “Zoe’s down by the bus waiting for her boyfriend.” 

“Hey handsome.” I smile, letting go of my girl and walking up and giving him a loving hug and kiss. Travis holds me longer, and I can feel him watch over to Monique for a reaction. “Eyes on me silly boy.” I say as I give him another kiss. He complies and returns my affections. 

Veronica watches the reaction. “Umm. Rose are you dating all these people?” 

“Yes, Rose is polyamorous, she has more than one relationship.” Cassandra smiles, as she puts her arm around me. 

“Vern, quite flirting with opposition!” we hear a boy yell from the home stands. 

My friend rolls her eyes. “That would be Billy.” She says. “Closest I have to having a male friend.” 

“Is he cute?” Tina asks looking over to the home stands.

Ronnie blushes. “Maybe…” 

“Go see your friend.” I smile, giving her a kiss on the cheek. “We’ll be at the Villa Bovine for supper if the boys win.” 

“Okay.” She smiles and runs back off to the stands. 

“She’s a bit more feminine than a couple of weeks ago.” Tina says watching Ronnie leaving. “But still looks like a guy.” 

“Her doctor only has her on hormone blockers till she’s 18. She won’t be starting HRT till next year, maybe two - depending on her therapist.” I say. 

“Why?” Monique asks. 

“My starting hormones before 18 is unusual.” I tell my girlfriend. “Where her parents are supportive, they’re putting on her a regular transition path. Most trans teens don’t start hormones till 19, 18 with parental consent.”

“So if it hadn’t been for your therapist and your brother….” Cassandra say thoughtfully.

“I’d look more like Veronica.” I finish for her. 

I feel Tina’s hand slide along my bottom before wrapping around my waist below Cassandra’s “I for one am glad that you started early.” 

“There she is.” I hear Yasmin’s voice, and I slip out of my girls’ hold to step forward and give her a hug. “I got a drive with Chloe and Chuck’s parents.” She smiles. “Someone forgot me back at school.” She says looking at Monique. 

“I'm Sorry.” Monique apologizes, steps forward and gives her friend a hug as I let go of Yasmin. 

“Chloe will be driving back with Chuck and his parents.” Yasmin says. “Can Brad and I get a drive back with you?

“She should have room in the car for you.” Travis says putting his arms around me. 

“Thanks for offering to drive me home Travis.” Tina smiles, catching on.

“Actually my parents will be at the game today, and want you to join us for supper.” Brad says from behind us.

“Honeybun!” Yasmin squeaks happily, and hops into Brad’s arms.They give each other a loving kiss before he puts her back down. She wraps her arms around her boyfriend and snuggles against him. She seems so much happier with him now that he’s showing more affection in public. 


	57. Boys VS Newcrest

We settle in the stands as the boys get ready for game, stretching and listening to coach for last minute play ideas. 

I have Tina and Monique on either side of me. Cassandra is leaning against my legs with Chloe and Zoe flanking her. Travis is behind me, leaning forward with his arms around my shoulders. 

I’m watching Newcrest as they point to the team and talk to one another. “Are you seeing what I’m seeing?” Tina says in my ear and I nod. “They’re planning to trip up the boys and take out the better players.”

“How can you tell?” Monique asks. 

“I can read lips.” Tina says quietly. “My aunt taught me more than just sign language.” 

“Zoe, Chloe.” I say a little louder. The girls look up at me. “Get Brad, Chuck and Trent here, we have something they need to hear.” 

Zoe nods and doesn’t hesitate, she’s seen Tina and I strategize before. Soon the boys are coming alongside us. 

“Newcrest is planing some dirty tricks, they intend to take Trent and Craig out. Don't retaliate, just play safe, and watch yourselves. Chuck, tell coach you want to play alongside John, you have better ball control.” I say in a serious tone. 

“Think coach will agree?” Chuck says with a frown. 

“When he knows where it’s coming from, he won’t hesitate to agree.” Tina replies for me. 

The boys nod and go over to coach, who looks back to me, then nods. He starts giving the boys a new play plan to keep our boys away from the troublemakers. The ref blows the whistle calling the boys to the field. 

Tina and I are watching the opposition, trying to pick up the instigators. 

The way the team captain shakes with Brad to face off is our first sign. “There’s one.” Tina says beside me, and I nod. Coach looks up and Tina makes a C in sign and he nods. 

“Do you two ever stop and just enjoy the game?” Monique asks from beside me. 

“This is fun.” Travis and I answer at the same time. “I asked her the same last week.” Travis finishes as I smile. He has his chin on my head, resting most of his weight on me. 

As Brad wins the coin toss, he gives his opponent a dirty look before passing to Trent and running around their captain. Their defense moves to his position, so Trent dashes alongside Brad towards Craig and then leaves the ball for his fellow forward. As he banks, the two dribble the ball between each other. This confuses the defense, who are wondering who’s going to punch past. Trent gives a power kick to his right suddenly, the defense both miss it as Brad gets the pass and power kicks the ball to goal. The goalie catches it, but the force of Brads kick pushes him back almost into the goal line. The goalie looks winded as he passes the ball to his #8 defenseman. 

Their team tries to push the ball forward, but don’t get past Chuck. As he gets the ball back to Brad. 

“Good call on Chuck.” Tina says with a smile. 

“Nothing gets past my boyfriend.” Chloe says leaning back and grinning. 

Brad is powering forward to get the ball back to goal, the defense is crowding him, they’re not going to let him give another power kick to goal. He feints a forward move, kicking to Trent. #2 makes a leg swipe, but he’s not aiming for the ball. Trent forward flips over the leg causing his opponent to falter, and Trent keeps going forward with the ball, He spots #8 coming alongside him, and kicks the ball to Craig before the boys collide. 

The boy pushes Trent angrily and Trent looks like he’s about to push back, when Brad hooks his arm and gently drags him away. The two of them talk and Trent takes a deep breath and nods. 

Coach looks back to see if we saw that. Tina nods and signs 2 and 8. Coach goes over to the ref, and speaks to him. The ref nods, and then walks onto the field as he calls for a face off. He points to 2 and 8 with a gives them a white warning flag. The boys look at him annoyed.

“Okay, the ref is on to them now.” Tina says with a smirk. 

Brad has the ball due to the warning, and the boys punch forward again. Brad sees he’s being singled out and passes the ball to Craig. #4 comes after him full throttle and Craig passes to Trent using the kick motion to give him momentum to dodge his opponent as he suddenly spins out of the way. #4 fakes a fall and Craig gives him a what gives arm motion. The ref gives a short whistle and a green flag. 

The boys continue play as Trent uses the moment of confusion to make a break at goal. The goalie is quick, and catches a high kick. As the goalie throws the ball, Trent tries his famous head shot to goal only to get shoulder checked by #2. Trent recovers by rolling on the ground, and the ref blows the whistle, calling #2 off the field for a 5 minute penalty. 

“These guys are morons.” Monique grumbles. 

“I hope Trent isn’t hurt…” Zoe says with concern. 

Brad checks on Trent and he nods. Brad shares some firm words with their goalie before the boys go back to face off. Newcrest is down to four players for five minutes. As Brad is given the ball. He kicks to Craig, sure enough #4 is charging him again. And Craig feints right, before dodging left and dashing past his opponent. #4 has too much momentum and Craig is already at the defensive line before he can catch up. #8 gives him a menacing grin, Craig does the unexpected, kicking the ball between the boys outstretched legs, to Trent who corner kicks the ball faster than their goalie can respond. Making the first point for the game. 

The boys do high fives as they run back to center. Still 2 minutes left on the penalty, Brad doesn’t let their captain keep the ball as she suddenly back-peddles and steals the ball from him, stepping over the boys shin kick. Trent takes the ball and runs forward. I can see Brad point and say something to the captain, the two of them look like their about to fight before Brad walks away from him. The captain is in pursuit and Brad keeps his opponent in the corner of his eye. 

The ref gives a short whistle marking the end of the penalty, and #11 steps out on to the field, #2 has been taken out of the game for misconduct. The new player is fast, and he dashes forward stealing the ball from Craig and barreling for our goal. I can see Chuck calculate his moves, he motions to John to slow him down. As #11 changes his course to dodge John, Chuck is waiting for him and sprints to steal the ball, kicking it back to center field to Brad. Brad catches the ball, and spins out of the captains kick to take the ball back to goal. 

He and Trent are running to goal, with the defense focusing on the two of them Craig slips by unnoticed, so Brad’s kick to the right catches them off-guard and Craig takes a bottom corner kick to goal. The goalie deflects it, before it can go off side, Craig takes the ball again, kicks to Trent who scores by kicking in the opposite corner. 

2-0 and I can see that Newcrest is getting angry. The ref calls half-time, and the boys run back to the benches. Travis lets go of me as Tina and I get up with Zoe, Chloe and Yasmin, I surprise Monique. 

“Where are you going?” She asks. 

“Half time show!” Tina grins. 

The coach approaches us as we grab balls. “What do you think?” 

“We still need to watch out for the Captain and 8.” I say as we gather a ball. “I don’t think 4 is a threat, he doesn’t have control of the field, he just runs in straight lines.” 

“Anything else?” Coach is seeing if I picked up on someone else. 

“Keep an eye on 11, he seems to be the only good player on the field, he’s going to try a shot on goal again.” 

I smile as I join my girlfriend on the field. 

Chuck and Trent join us . “How’s your back hun?” I ask him. 

“A little stiff, but I can still play.” Trent says 

“Let me see that before you run back on the field.” I say in a motherly tone. 

“Yes Rose.” He says without hesitation. 

We start our half time show. Taking a moment to get in synch before we start our tricks. The stands are all cheering us on, having seen our previous performances. I glance over and can see the envy of the other side as we do our conveyor belt trick: passing across the knees to the right, to pass down the left on our feet. We have all four balls going in a fluid motion, seeing as this is the second time we’re performing the trick. 

Suddenly one of the cheerleaders in the crowd starts signing ‘Hit Me With Your Best Shot’ I see all the cheerleaders stand up, they’d been hiding in the crowd, and Susan waves to us as she pulls them off the stands and they start their routine beside us and getting Willow Creek even more excited. We finish when they’re done their performance and we all bow before returning to the stands. 

“Thanks for joining us.” Tina smiles as I have Trent lift his shirt. 

“That was fun!” Brittany says beside Susan. “I’m glad you asked us to join the boys today!” 

“What do you make of it?” Coach asks as I carefully check out Tent’s back. 

“Well, he’s going to have a good bruise.” I say, Trent winces as I gently push against the red part of his back. 

“But there’s no permanent damage.” I say massaging the muscles around the bruise point.   
Tina hands me the teams first aid kit. And I apply a muscle relaxant cream to the bruise and give him a painkiller to take with his water. 

“Don’t push yourself too hard.” I say in a motherly tone. I can feel his back relax as the cream soaks in. 

“Yes Rose.” He says with a smile. 

I walk around to his front, smile, crouch and give him a soft kiss. “Be careful out there.” And caress his cheek.

“I will.” He smiles. 

Zoe gives him a kiss as the ref calls the boys back to the field. 

“Are you developing feelings for him?” Tina says having watched my motions. 

“Maybe.” I say with a blush. 

“Trent is such a sweetheart.” Zoe says taking my hand. “I can understand why Rose is loosing her resolve.” 

“Hush you.” I say playfully turning to her. She giggles gives me a quick kiss before heading back into the stands. 

The cheerleaders stay out on the side and start a cheer as the boys get ready to face off. I settle back in the stands beside Monique. I notice that Cassandra had moved up to Tina’s spot. Tina takes one look then, shrugs and sits in front of me. Cassandra snuggles into me as Travis puts his arms around me again. Tina leans against my legs, her hand sliding up my skirt and gently rubbing my right leg. 

“Rose, is there something between you Zoe and Trent?” Monique inquires. 

“We’re courting.” I say without hesitation. 

“Rose tried to distract Zoe and Trent by getting them to date each other, but it didn’t change how they felt for her. So now the two of them are aiming to share Rose as their girlfriend.” Cassandra says. 

“Oh really?” Monique says looking at me. 

I merely shrug. “It looked like it was going to work till last weekend when they admitted they still have feelings for me.” 

“It’s not too serious yet.” Tina says looking up. “They don’t have a sexual relationship yet, so it’s just puppy love.” 

“Yes, Rose has a knack for picking up puppies.” Cassandra says teasingly. “Like Tori and Brenda.” 

“I’d say that’s just an infatuation so far.” I say in my defense. 

“That’s how it starts.” Tina says, giving my calf a squeeze. “How long it stays that way depends on how you respond to them.” 

Monique looks like she’s about to get jealous, but shakes her head. “What am I going to do about you?” She says mildly annoyed. 

I whisper seductively in her ear. “This morning was a good start,” and she blushes. 

She pushes me away with a smile. “You’re incorrigible.” 

I bring my focus back to the field as Brad is struggling to get past their defense. 4 charges him as we’ve seen so far, and he bounces off of our Captain. Brad looks at him as if he’s dumb, being twice the boy’s size, there’s no way of moving Brad, he’s a tank. 

The ref blows his whistle and gives a white warning flag as the boy picks himself up. Brad gets a penalty kick and the ball is back in play. 11 manages to get the ball and pushes past John, noting he couldn’t get past Chuck last time. Chuck is blocking a good shot though, so Tom happily catches the ball with 11’s limited window. 

Tom tries to do a high toss, and 11, head butts it, Tom catches the ball easily. He wags his finger at 11, tossing it to the right this time and Chuck head who butts it down the field towards Brad. Their captain tries to steal the ball, and trip Brad. Brad plants his foot causing the Captain to trip himself and the guy rolls on the ground feigning an injury. Brad puts his hands on his hips and looks down at his opponent in disbelief. The ref checks him and calls the guys bluff and sends him off the field for misconduct. 

Newcrest is now looking at a 10 minute penalty without their captain on the field. I can see 8 is cheesed off. I tap Tina on the head who nods. She whistles out to the field, and the boys turn, having recognized her call. She signs 8, numbers are easy to guess, and they nod. The boy looks at Tina with a glare, and goes back to play. The ref notices the interaction and watches the boy closely. I can see their coach call out and shake his head, telling his boy to back down from Newcrest getting another penalty. The boy frowns, and doesn’t look happy, but it looks like he’s going to listen to his coach. 

Without their captain, Newcrest’s only forward strategy is 11, and without proper team play, the ball’s not getting on our side very often. They decide to go for a defensive strategy, and between their defense and goalie, our boys aren’t able to land another goal before end of game. We still won. 2-0 against a bunch of bullies. 

As they boys come off the field, the other team doesn’t even bother to shake hands, they just walk away. The ref talks to our coach, who nods, and smiles as the boys approach. 

“Due to their unsportsmanlike behavior, Newcrest has been disqualified from further games.” Coach beams. “I’m proud of you boys out there. You could have gone eye-for-an-eye and tried to get them back, but you showed them we’re better.”

“You bet we are.” Brad boast. “Rose warned us to that they weren’t going to play fair and not take it personal.”

Coach looks at me and smiles. “Still acting like a team captain.” 

I shrug and give the team a pep talk. “It’s easy to lose one’s temper, but you can’t let your opponent have the upper hand.” The boys are nodding. “They can yell at you, spit on you, and try to pick a fight. It’s fair game to respond **off** the field, but **on** the field there’s rules to follow. Keep your head on the game, let the referee deal out the punishment, and you will always be the victor.” 

Brad smiles and I ‘eep’ as he picks me up. Trent helps him toss me on his shoulder. The boys all reach up and start chanting my name. Tina looks up at me proudly. The boys chant my name 5 times before putting me down and cheering. 

As the boys scatter and start running for the bus I call out to them. “Villa Bovine, celebration dinner!” 

“Willow Creek #1!” The boys yell out. 

“I never imagined dating the school's popular jock.” Monique says putting her arm around me. 

“It just happened.” Is say blushing. 

“You’re too modest.” Tina smiles. “Wrapping her arm around my other side. 

Cassandra holds my hand as we start walking down to the cars. Travis slides ahead of us to get the van ready. I’m dialing my phone to warn Villa Bovine that about a dozen of us are coming to the restaurant, and that we’ll need a table beside that as well. The host is hesitant at first when he asks for the reservation name and I give Willow Creek, his tone changes and he says he’ll get the tables ready as soon as possible. 

“Why a table on the side?” Monique asks as we reach her car. 

“Chucks parents drove Chloe and Yasmin here, and Brad said his folks were in the stands.” I smile. 

“My rose is so smart.” Tina kisses my cheek before getting in the back seat of Monique’s car. I blow a kiss to Travis before I slide in beside Monique and she follows his van to the restaurant. 


	58. Celebration Dinner

We have 10 minutes to wait to be seated. The boys decide that it’s only the main 5 and their girlfriends who will stay behind for supper, the rest will head on home. Coach says he’ll get these guys home and come back for the team after supper. The driver nods happily. 

As the bus pulls out, half a dozen boys start walking our way. 

“Here we go again.” Trent says rolling his eyes. 

“You insulted us on the field today.” Their team captain says, still wearing his Newcrest colours. 

“You insulted yourselves.” Tina answers before any of the boys say anything. 

“Watch your mouth bitch.” He yells at Tina. 

“Or what?” Brad says stepping forward. The guy looses his cool as Brad towers over his meter and a half frame. 

“Look guys.” Chuck says as his parents walk up behind us. “You tried to play dirty and you lost. Don’t make yourselves look worse by picking a fight off the field.” 

“Who’s going to stop us?” Number 2 steps beside his captain still looking for a fight. 

“I am.” Says Brad’s father stepping beside his son. Father and son are equally tall and muscular. Faced with two near 2 meter tall black behemoths, the boys suddenly lose their resolve. 

“You know Cal, this isn’t a good idea.” Their goalie says from behind him. “Let’s go home.” 

The boys start agreeing with him. “What you chickens are just going to walk away?!” the instigator snaps. 

“It’s not a good idea Cal, like the guy says, let it go.” Another boy hooks Cal’s arm, he’s got a goose egg on his forehead from trying to charge Brad. He gives Cal one more tug, and the boy nods, then turns around. 

The other boy finally grunts, spits on the ground, and stomps off. 

“Wow, I thought I had a stupid short temper.” Tom says as he steps up beside his sister. 

“There’s hope for you yet brother.” Tina says tapping his shoulder. 

Tom looks like he’s about to say a comeback, looks at me, then frowns. “I’m trying.” He says as he follows her to the diner. 

“Thank you.” I say to Brad’s dad. 

He looks down at me. “You’re the one they call Rose?” and I nod to him. He looks to Brad. “She really that scary?” 

“Yeah, dad, she’s like a black belt and such.” Brad says eyeing me wearily. “Beat 3 guys without even breaking a sweat.” 

I merely smile innocently. 

“Hmm.. Interesting.” He says, he turns and puts his hand on Brad’s shoulder. “Lets go eat.” 

Travis and Cassandra claim their spots beside me, leaving Tina and Monique to sit across from us again. At the main table, we also have Craig, Tom, John & Irene beside Travis. Chuck & Chloe, Trent & Zoe, Brad & Yasmin sit beside Monique & Tina. Irene starts off sort of shy, but she soon starts to become more at ease around our rambunctious group. Brad’s parents and Chuck’s parents sit at the table beside us, and they watch how we all interact. 

We do our typical order, and soon a pitcher of iced teas is brought around for us to start filling our glasses. As we’re waiting for the appetizer platters to arrive, I spot Veronica and wave her over. 

She settles beside Cassandra as we’re at the end of the table. “My parents said they’d come fetch me after supper. You sure you don’t mind?” 

I reach over for Ronnie and put a hand on her shoulder. “With the food we’re ordering hun, take what you want.” I smile. 

“They don’t have fish at this place.” Tina reminds me. 

“So we do a 2 meat and chicken combo?” I offer. 

“Sounds good to me.” Travis says, licking his lips. 

“I’ve got your hand.” Cassandra says with a playful voice, and leans into me, pulling my hand down and cuddling into the crook of my shoulder. 

“Sneaky little minx.” Tina teases her. 

“I get my snuggles where I can find them.” Cassandra gives a cheeky smirk. 

“I know you said you were dating them, but really Rose, how many relationships do you have?” Ronnie says amazed. 

“Five.” I smile. “There’s this hunk of love.” I say leaning into Travis as best I can with Cassandra holding me. 

“This little clingy thing.” I bring my hand up and boop her on the nose, causing Cassandra to giggle. “And the two girls across from me.” 

“We’re missing a girlfriend, she stayed back in Willow Creek.” Tina says as she sips her drink. 

“The darker girl that you kissed when you did your handstand.” Ronnie says remembering last week.

“Leilani always finds a homework excuse to not come out watch the guys.” Cassandra comments. “There might be two more if these puppies have their way.” She says pointing to Zoe and Trent. 

Zoe looks up and blushes. 

“Yeah, kissing her in class man, that was a dead give away that you have a thing for Rose.” John teases Trent causing him to blush. 

Ronnie watches the exchange and is surprised. 

“She’s even got her own fan club.” Yasmin says, bringing up a social media page, and showing it to us.

“No way! Who started this?!” Tina says surprised, picking up the link. 

“I did.” Says Susan by the entrance. “Any room for the cheerleaders?”

The guys grab two empty tables beside us and extend our table to let the girls sit down. 

“I have her photo from Saturday at he beach as a cover, almost half the school is already following it.” Susan says with a smile. 

“Make that more.” As Tina is spreading the link to the sports teams. The numbers are climbing as we speak, as the link gets spread around. 

Our appetizer trays arrive, and the waiter gets the cheerleaders’ orders. We start sharing the platters around, each getting a bit of everything. Ronnie is surprised when I hand her a plate. We order our entrees and he nods. 

“So, why a fan club?” I look over a Susan. 

“Most popular athlete is school? Girl you needed a fan club, and not that personal page of yours.” Susan says. “Considering how hard it is to find and most of the posts and pictures are not viewable to the public.” 

“There’s a reason that page is kept private, there are things in there from my past that I don’t want to share with the school - at least not yet.” I say carefully. 

“So you have secrets?” Susan gives me a playful grin. “What dirty secrets are you hiding?” 

“Should I tell her?” Tina asks. 

“No. I’m not ready for the rest of the school to know that yet.” I tell her firmly. "Not like this." 

“Awe come on, the school all knows you’re bisexual and you date more than one person at a time, how much more juicy does your life get?” Susan passes off what I’m hiding as nothing.

“It’s something private. I’ll tell the rest of the school about it later. I just need to find a right time to tell it my way.” I tell her. 

“There’s a few things about Rose that I’m sure would surprised others.” Tina giggles. 

“Now, what we’re sharing so far are the school photos, and the pictures we took at the beach. No one has any pictures of Rose before this year.” She looks at me. “Rose, why can no one find older pictures of you? It’s like you didn’t exist before this year?!” 

“Well, she is half right.” Cassandra giggles. “She only moved to Willow Creek this summer, so there are no local pictures of Rose before the school year. 

“I found a Simtrest account, it goes back two years, but there’s no photos in there, just artwork.” 

“And all the artwork is just signed ‘RM’.” I smile. 

“Rose, you’re not helping!” Susan says frustrated.

“Okay, you want the truth?” I turn and ask Susan. My girlfriends give me a worried look, Monique is shaking her head. 

“Yes!” Susan says with impatience. 

“I was emancipated from my parents and changed my legal name, so no, I legally didn’t exist before this year.” I reply. 

My girls relax, considering that not all the boys at the table know my secret. 

“She was what?” Susan says confused. 

“Legally divorced from her parents, probably cause she’s queer, I can work with that.” Libby says as she pulls out a laptop.

“You’re going to have a real mystery hunt once this hits the school” Yasmin says. “Everyone is going to wonder who you were.” 

“And no one’s going to leak anything, right?” I say looking at her. 

“No, no Rose.” She says shaking her head. “Brad and I will keep that to ourselves, just like Monique has.” 

“What if we try to hunt down where she’s from?” Susan says. It’s almost entertaining watching her search. She missed Yasmin’s comment.

“My family has been in San Myshuno for over 3 generations, good luck trying that line.” I give a cunning smile. 

Our food arrives, and we start divvying up the food. I give Veronica a starter plate, and tell her she can have more if she wants. 

Susan suddenly looks up and looks at Veronica. “Wait, you!” my friend suddenly panics. Cassandra lets my hand go so that calm her down. “You don’t go to our school!?” 

“No. I live here in town. I met Rose online, we’re part of the same chat group.” Veronica says being vague. 

“Wait, are you a boy or a girl?” Susan says suddenly confused. 

“Veronica has a hormone imbalance, making her more androgynous, she’s just started seeing a doctor about getting that fixed.” I reply as Veronica is suddenly too scared to talk. 

“Is that how you met?” Susan says confused and I nod. 

Veronica relaxes and gives me a thank you smile. 

“Wait, I found a link to Britechester this summer, she’s was a lifeguard!” Dolly says. 

“Well, of course she was, it said so on her bathing suit.” Susan says exasperated. 

“You’re having fun with this.” Travis says quietly as he feeds me some roast. 

“Watching her search fruitlessly for links that aren’t there? The only connection is on my private social media page, and only a few have access to that.” I smile as I feed him some chicken. 

“Will I ever see what’s on that page?” Yasmin asks quietly. The cheerleaders are making enough noise, they can’t hear her. 

“I don’t even have access to that page.” Monique says offended. 

“I’m sorry honey, I only unlocked that this week to my circle, we weren’t talking yet. Hand me your phone.” I say quietly. 

Monique hands me her device, and I pick up her social media name, search myself, send a friend invite. I hand her back her phone. I then pick up my phone and approve her request. “Don’t look at it here.” I warn her and she nods, and looks at Susan before putting her phone away. 

Susan spots the motion. “What!? You’re going to share with her!?” 

“Monique and I are dating again, and most of it she already knows.” I reply calmly.” 

“What is so special that she keeps four girlfriends happy.” Susan frowns and starts hunting again. It’s almost funny watching her search in vain. 

“You’ll have to tell the school eventually.” Tina says. 

“In a few months, during the winter carnival, when I can have everyone’s attention on stage.” I say with a smile. 

“You’re going to wait that long?!” Susan looks at me stunned. 

“Well, not everyone’s going to be at the dance tomorrow. I want everyone in the school to be there when I tell my story.” I reply calmly. 

“You know, that means we have a big reveal work up to!” Libby says all excited. “We can have like, little nuggets and daily clues, it’ll be fun!” 

“Sounds like your fan club has just be turned into a mystery story.” Monique giggles. 

“I just hope they won’t be disappointed by the way that Susan’s building it up. Think I should start telling people sooner?” I say concerned that our head cheerleader is building this up more than it should be. 

“Rose there is nothing disappointing about you. If anything, I doubt any of us really know you.” Tina says with an affectionate smile.

“I know I sure don’t after watching you yesterday!” Monique says in a concerned voice. 

Susan catches on to the conversation. “Why, what did Rose do yesterday?” 

Tina looks at me for permission, I hesitate for a moment, and then nod. “Okay, first nugget of interest: Rose beat up 3 guys yesterday.” 

“I’d say I helped, but I only roughed a few of them up, Rose right out flattened them.” Brad says in an amazed tone. 

“What, really, how?!” Susan says surprised. 

“You saw Rose’s physique at the beach.” Tina starts and Susan nods. “Rose easily has twice the strength of any single student.”

“I always wondered about that…” Susan says. “She can carry people around like she’s carrying a toddler.” 

“Okay. First thing you can add to my fan page about my past: I spent over three years training under a militant swim coach.” I start, saying it loud enough for everyone to hear. “To become a silver medalist, I was subjected to intense physical body building, long runs, long swim sessions, and -to keep my body lithe where I’m not overly muscular like Brad - martial arts training. It’s kept my muscle tone lean and agile where you don’t see the bulk of the muscle mass.”

“Wow!” say the cheerleaders as we eat supper. 

“So, you’re like a living weapon?!” Brittany says in adoration.

“Not something I’m proud of.” I say taking a drink of iced tea. 

“What?!” Susan says in surprise. “You have the reflexes of a cat, the strength of a bear, and you say you never wanted that?” 

“I just wanted to be this romantic, artistic geek.” I say sadly. “It was my father’s idea to use sports to deal with my excess energy.” I say looking down at the table. “While my mother was trying to teach me focus, and control… teaching me art, and music as means of keeping my mind under control. My father just wanted to see just how far I could push my body before it broke.” 

“Why?” Susan says concerned. 

“Second info bit about me: I have ADHD.” I say calmly. “My mind runs faster than a neurotypical person’s. I can think faster, react faster, and my IQ is probably higher than anyone’s at this table.” I take a deep breath. “But it’s hard to control. My mind won’t stop! It’s constantly looking for something to do. It’s a wonder for multi-tasking, but it also makes it hard to stay focused on one thing at a time.” I start, I can see a few of the girls take notes. 

“Attention Deficit Disorder is often treated with medicine, they're actually stimulants that bring me down to slightly above a coffee buzz. I don’t like them.” I say with a frown. “So, I control my diet, keep my sugar and salt levels low. I try to avoid preservatives, and my excess energy is funneled through physical activity.” 

“Between my fast mind and the martial arts training, I developed those cat-like reflexes that many of you seem so fond of.” I say quietly. I can see a few admiring looks. “I know it can sometimes make me seem super-human, but it does have it’s drawbacks.” 

“You should see her when she’s on a sugar high. She can’t sit still!” Travis says emphasizing one of my weak points. 

“Well, now we know why your body doesn’t stop.” Yasmin says teasingly, in a mild seductive tone.

“Her stamina is amazing.” Tina says dreamily, and Monique gives a smile. 

Travis feeds me some chicken to get me to stop talking. Susan watches the interaction. “Once she gets started, you can’t get her to shut up.” Travis says playfully causing the table to laugh.

“So what else?” Susan says leaning towards me, now that I’m being so forthcoming with things I’ve been keeping to myself. 

“That’s a good start.” I say with a cunning smile.

“I can spread out the details.” Libby says, excitedly typing away. “Rose can I message you for some clarification - just so I don’t get the facts wrong?” 

“Sure.” I smile. 

“We can slowly release fact tidbits, and then…. Oh this is going to be great!” Libby says excitedly. 

“I think your fan page is going to explode in school.” Tina says with a grin. 

“I just hope that people learning my sports and training history don’t try to test me like someone else I know.” I say looking at Tom. 

Tom shrinks in his seat. “Look, I told you Rose, I’m sorry about that. But you did go a little far.” He says in his defense. 

“Yes, I guess I did.” I say with a sigh. 

“That would be her ADD trying to one up you.” Travis says as he munches on a rib. 

“You know, this is going to help other people in school who have similar learning disabilities.” Cassandra says thoughtfully. “I mean, the autism strain goes from people with sever impairments, learning disabilities, Asperger’s, Rett’s, to being hyper-intensive - like Rose. 

“Someone’s been doing some reading.” I smile and squeeze her lovingly. 

“I need to know what to expect from you, to deal with what I might come up with.” Cassandra gives me a tender look. _This girl definitely has long-term plans with our relationship_. 

Libby looks up. “That’s a great idea Cass!” She grins. “We can start a whole support program with people with learning disabilities.”

“Wait, I thought hyperactive & autistic people have, like, behavioral twitches.” Chuck says. 

“When Rose is nervous, her leg won’t stop twitching.” Cassandra says. “And Rose as taken stimming to a whole new level, when she’s overdone, and goes for a jog, no one can keep up with her.” 

“And her musical talent is nothing short of a prodigy.” Tina says affectionately. 

“Oh come on, I’m not **that** good.” I say trying pass off my musical talents as not special. 

“I’ve heard her play.” Monique says affectionately.

“What do you play Rose?” Susan says suddenly interested. 

“Ten years classically trained in piano.” I start. “I was a soprano for choir, I also know how to play cello, guitar, and started learning the violin - but nowhere near as good with that instrument as my girlfriend here.” I say giving Cassandra a squeeze. 

“Wow! We need to get you to play for the school somehow.” Libby says, finding a new nugget to add to my fan page. “You have helped us so much tonight Rose, your fan page is going to be so awesome as I slowly add all this in there!” Libby says excitedly. “Oh, don’t worry, I’m not adding it all at once!” she says with a grin. 

“I have enough here to slowly disseminate for the next month!

The rest of supper is spent with Libby trying to probe me for hobbies, interests, likes, dislikes, generally trying to fill info for my ‘About Me’ page. 

“Is there something you don’t do Rose?” She asks at one point. 

“I’m a modern-day bard, I’m good at a little bit of everything.” I shrug my shoulders.

“Oh, I like that! So using that term!” She says excitedly. Libby’s enthusiasm is infectious, and I find it hard to withhold any information from her. 

I almost gave her too much info at one point, I got Travis feeding me the last of my plate when I was going to start talking about my brother. And Cassandra nudged me to remind me to be careful of how much I spoke about my online activities, not wanting expose Veronica and I as being trans. Each time I realized I was going into verbal overload, I would stop. The girls would notice they hit that ‘wall’ of too much, too soon, and would find another angle for something else. Over all, I think supper went well. 


	59. Homeward Bound

We’re paying for our bills when Coach walks in with the bus driver. He smiles at me and puts his hand on my shoulder. “There is never a dinner with you that lasts less than 2 hours.” He says with a smile. 

“You make it sound like that’s a bad thing.” Tina says with a smile. 

Coach puts his other hand on Tina’s shoulder. “You just love to spend time together, don’t you?” 

“It’s always a fun time with Rose around, why would I want to go back home to my dull life?” 

“Wow, thanks for the insult.” Tom says looking over his shoulder causing us to chuckle. 

We sort out transportation on who’s going with who. Those without planned rides go on the bus, including some of the cheerleaders. Particularly Libby who’d been flirting with Craig a lot, and may soon become an item. I do expect to see the two of them at the dance tomorrow. 

As much as Cassandra and Tina disliked the idea of my driving alone with Monique, they couldn’t argue with Travis’ logic with the fact that it would be less of a drive for him to get them home, seeing as they all live in the same neighbourhood after dropping Cassandra off. 

I kiss and hug my loves goodbye. My lovers making sure that they got a long loving kiss each before getting into the van. 

“Don’t let her stay the night.” Cassandra warns me. 

“Like Beth would let her.” I say. “She got what she wanted this morning, she just wants to see the house.” 

“I still don’t trust her.” My girlfriend says looking at Monique over my shoulder. “I love you too much to let her take you back from me.” 

“Never going to happen.” I say in a soft voice. “I’ve never loved her anywhere close to how much I love you.” 

“Okay.” She smiles and gives me one last kiss before getting into the van beside Travis. 

I wave to my loves as they pull out, and make my way back to Monique beside her car. 

“You love them so much.” She says with a sad tone.” 

“Monique, I love each and every one of you for different reasons.” I say to her putting my arms around her. “Know that you have a special place in my heart that no one will take away.”

Monique leans into me and takes a deep breath. “I don’ think I’ll ever understand how you do that. But it would explain why you and I just reconnected like we were never apart.” 

“Let’s get home.” I say giving her a squeeze. 

“Okay.” She smiles and looks up at me. I give her a kiss and we split so that I can get into the passenger seat beside her. 

We spend the first part of the trip home talking about the dance. I’ve never experienced a Harvest Dance before, so I probe her as to what to expect at the dance. 

“You’ve never been to a school dance before?” Monique says glancing over at me.

“I was a late bloomer, why would I ever have a reason to go to a school dance before this?” I say with a frown. “It’s not like I was popular, or had a girlfriend growing up.” 

“With how everyone loves you at school, I really find that hard to believe.” Monique smiles and shakes her head. 

“I learned to keep to myself growing up. It would get me targeted less if I just sat in a corner and didn’t bother anyone else.” I say sadly.

“I’m sorry.” Monique says sincerely. “I keep forgetting how you were teased and tormented growing up. The way you are so naturally charismatic now, it must have been hard repressing your need to reach out and connect.”

“You know, the person you see now was not the person I was before my transition. I had put a shell over the girl you met. It was a defense mechanism so that no one would see the real me.” I say with a frown. 

“So, you suppressed everything that you were, only occasionally letting select people see the real you?” Monique says curious. 

“If they saw the real me at all.” I nod. “I learned that my effeminate nature was seen as a weakness, and hid it from everyone. I think Dave was the only one who saw most of me - as I would drop my defenses when taking care of my cousins.” 

“You must have been their favorite family member.” Monique smiles affectionately. 

“When they were old enough, they would ask for me by name.” I smile. “None of the other family members could figure out why this quiet little dork could be so much fun to hang out with.” 

“So, that’s why you and Cassandra get along so well.” Monique says catching on. “You two are so much alike.” She glances at me for a moment. “I can understand why she doesn’t trust me, the feeling is mutual.” 

I frown. “What do you mean?” 

“Rose honey, you love her so much more than you ever loved me.” I go to object. “I know you say you love each and every one of us differently… but the way you two look at each other. I can’t hide my jealousy for the relationship you share, I’m sorry.”

“Cassandra and I have a lot in common.” I say defensively. 

“It’s not just that Rose. I do care for you, but she truly loves you on a level I don’t think I’ll ever have. How can I compete with a girl who has your heart the way she does?” Monique says a touch upset. 

“Monique, you don’t have to compete with my other lovers.” I say in a serious tone. 

“I… you’re right, I’m sorry. I’m still getting used to the fact that I don’t have to fight someone for your affections.” She takes a deep breath. “How you all share each other with no jealousy or competition, I don’t think I’ll ever understand it.” 

“If you feel uncomfortable hanging with my inner circle, we can keep our relationship separate from theirs.” I offer. 

“Is that how you describe your relationship with them? They’re not all lovers, I guess that makes sense.” She says thoughtfully. 

“If we can find cushions or a bed to sit on, the 5 of us have this arrangement.” I say. “I sit in Travis’ lap, Cassandra sits in mine, then Tina and Leilani snuggle on each side.” 

“Sounds so cuddly.” Monique smiles. “Sounds like something that Yasmin wishes she had with you.” 

“You picked up on that did you?” I say raising an eyebrow. 

“She’s had a crush on you since that first day you let her snuggle into you.” Monique says with a slight frown. “If it wasn’t for Brad’s jealousy, I’m sure she would have slept with you by now.” 

“She’s tried to get me to be more affectionate in school, and I’ve turned her down already.” I say calmly. 

“You turned down dating her?” Monique says surprised. “I thought you had trouble saying no to pretty things like her.” 

“Yasmin is exotically beautiful with this nut scent to her.” I say affectionately. My tone changes. “But I don’t want to hurt Brad, he’s rather ‘attached’ to her, I don’t want to come between them.” 

“Why care about Brad’s feelings? You could muscle him out.” Monique says curiously. 

“I respect Brad. He’s a recognized athlete, they’re a known couple. I don’t want to hurt either of them by ruining what they have together.” I say with a smile. 

“And you don’t think they’d go for a threesome like you have with Travis and Leilani?” Monique says almost bitterly. 

“So you’ve noticed that little love triangle, have you?” I say with a small smile. 

“She’s almost as affectionate with him as she is with you. It’s obvious that you’re dating each other the way you act together. It’s so much different than the relationship you show with Tina and Cassandra.” She replies. 

“You watch us a lot, don’t you?” I say apprehensively. 

“I’m sorry my love, but when we split, I just couldn’t let it go. And then you did the one thing that I said would break my heart, you affectionately love so many other people…” She says sadly. “At first I was angry, and jealous, and bitter that they had what I couldn’t. Then I had to remind myself that I was the one who left, not the other way around. After a week of hating you for what I didn’t have, I just had to admit what I really was feeling was loneliness. They had what I wanted, which is why I asked you to give us another chance.” She says softly. 

I put my hand on her knee and she relaxes. “Well, giving us another chance this morning was nice.” I smile suggestively. 

“This morning was more than nice.” She smiles seductively. “I don’t suppose we’ll get much time like that often…” she queries. 

“I still don’t know what my life will look like after this weekend.” I say honestly. “This past week so far is just settling in to some sort of schedule. Tomorrow’s the dance. I’m taking Cassandra and Tina, Travis is taking Leilani - but really we’re going the 5 of us together.” Monique nods sadly, reminded her she wasn’t in my original dance plans.

“Sunday I have Harvestfest Supper with the Goths, I’ll probably be there all day - knowing Cassandra. Monday I’ll be finishing up my geography project with Zoe. The only day this weekend that is up for options is Saturday, and I have a feeling that Travis and Tina have some sort of plans on their own for me that day.” 

“Oh really?” Monique looks at me. 

“Something about cycling and maybe swimming.” I say. “It’s supposed to be a beautiful day.” 

“You usually end up doing something physical Saturdays, don’t you?” Monique queries. 

“I like to keep in shape.” I smile. 

Monique smiles and shakes her head. “How does anyone keep up with you?” 

“I honestly don’t know.” I say with a grin, causing her to laugh. 

“You are really something.” Monique says affectionately. “Thank you.” 

“For what?” I say confused.

“For giving this another chance.” She says lovingly, putting her hand on mine. “I really don’t think I could find a better relationship this year, despite my father hoping for me to hook up with some boy.” She rolls her eyes. 

“I think your hug and kiss today during lunch confused a lot of people, expect a lot of questions tomorrow.” I say in a cautionary tone.

Monique sighs. “Yes, that would be my own doing.” She gives a grim smile. “I spent over a week bad mouthing you and saying you are the worst person on the planet, and now I’m back in your arms like last week didn’t happen.” She takes a deep breath. “I’m a big girl, I can sort it out.” 

I give her leg a squeeze. “I wish I could help you out.” 

Monique shakes her head. “I created this mess, I can get out of it. Just tell people you gave us another chance, I’ll sort out the rest.” She says seriously. 

“Okay.” I smile. “That winning persistence of yours is bound to work in your favour.” 

“I’m not persistent….” She says defensively. 

“And what happened after our first date?” I venture. 

“Was curiosity.” She says with a smile. “And your cock is so much larger than anyone else’s I’ve known, who was I to pass up on that?” 

“That’s what Tina told me as well.” I smile. “I like how you two get along.” 

“I don’t feel the same threat with her as I do with the others. I can’t explain it.” Monique says thoughtfully. “I mean, I know you’ve slept together, but she’s just so much more casual about your relationship than the other 3.” 

“I guess it’s cause we have more of a sexual fling than an actual loving romance.” I offer. 

“So you don’t love her?” Monique sounds confused. 

“Oh, I love her. But it’s like we’re just dating and the sex is a side benefit. There’s love and affection, but no actual romance in the time we spend together.” I try to explain it. 

“So, you and Tina are close friends with benefits. Like that girl you have up north?” Monique ventures. 

“Basically, yes.” I smile. 

Monique shrugs. “Fair enough, that definitely explains the fun play you have in talking to each other, but she doesn’t give you those loving doe eyes the way that Cassandra and Travis do.” We’re quiet for a moment. “Rose, what really happened to you in Britechester, I promise I’ll try not to be jealous.” Monique asks. 

“First of all I was staying with my best friend Jane and her roommate Sam. They’re both transgender and part of our support group. Jane is the same age as Dave, and is like a big sister I never had. Sam spent the summer flirting with me, he’s 4 years my senior, but that didn’t seem to bother him. When I tried to take it to the next level he got cold feet, and backed off.” 

“Your sexual awakening with me took him by surprise.” Monique offers. 

“Yes, he wasn’t ready for a sexually mature Rose, and our relationship has stayed at a flirting, cuddly courting - like it had been during the summer. “ I nod. 

“So, him?” Moniqe says getting her head around it. “Meaning he used to be a girl, and doesn’t have what you have between his legs? Just looks masculine?”

“Exactly. We technically would still be considered a straight couple no matter how you look at it.” I give a cheeky smile. 

Monique shakes her head and smiles. “So, he’s not the one you slept with?” 

“No, that would have been Friday night, with my trangender friend Diane.” I say somberly. 

“So, she’s like you?” Monique queries. 

“Yes, I did for her what Travis does for me and introduced her to anal sex. Apparently her previous boyfriends had never tried that before, and she really loves it.” I say with a sigh. 

“And really loves you for the body orgasm that women experience with penetration?” Monique queries. “You do get that feeling like I do when Travis gets you off, right?’ That’s why sex with him is so different?” 

“Exactly.” I say not hiding the joys that my boyfriend gives me.

“So that’s why you and Travis share such a different relationship.” Monique says catching on. “Wait, is he so jealous of me cause you were his first?” 

“I've been his first everything, yes.” I say with a deep breath. “He’s never felt love like this for anyone.” I say reconfirming what I told her this morning.

“I still can’t believe he has no interest in your penis.” I shrug. “That’s going to take a bit to get used to.” She says surprised. 

“I’m his girlfriend. He fell in love with a girl, so anything that is not feminine is of no interest to him.” I say without faltering. 

“And that doesn’t bother you?” Monique says still surprised. 

“Travis is the first person I’ve met who truly makes me feel like a woman.” I say without missing a beat. “Besides I have girlfriends to take care of that part.” I say suggestively, causing Monique to blush. 

“And he’s the only boyfriend you have cause?…” Monique offers.

“Between his jealousy, and the care I need to make sure that a boy doesn’t take offense of my being a transgender girl, the fewer boys that know what’s between my legs the better.” I reply. 

“Penis envy.” Monique says catching on. “You are worried about ego and that boys would take offense by that…” 

“Their girlfriend is more endowed than they are, yes, Travis has made that comment more than once.” I say with a grim smile. 

“And Trent is still flirting with you, despite his knowing that?” Monique say surprised.

“Yes, I still don’t know where that’s going, but he’s been infatuated with me since the first week of school, he’s tried to kiss me three times before finally succeeding this weekend. His parents think we’re couple material, he’s going to be trouble.” I frown. 

Monique shakes her head as we get close to home. “You said there was someone else up north…” she says suddenly remembering. 

“Lee.” I say taking a deep breath. “He works with his brother Jun at the bistro by where I lived this summer. They’re both gay, well, Lee is more bi. So watching me transition was more of a turn on for Lee than it was for his brother.” 

“So, for this boy Lee, bedding you was his ultimate wet dream: he got to have a sex with a man and a woman with only one partner?” Monique catches on. “Like how I feel when we’re together.” 

“Yes. While it was just a fun night of sex for me, he’s apparently developed some feelings for me.” I say with a concern.

“Best sex he’s had in memory, like Tina and I, he can’t get enough of you now that he knows what you are like between the sheets?” 

“That pretty much sums it up.” I say and point out the drive to turn down as we get close to the manor. 

Monique shakes her head, and would have responded, but her jaw’s drops open as we pull up to the house. She’s quiet for awhile as she takes in the majesty of the house. It’s the only manor in the region that’s over two storied tall, making it larger than the rest. 

“Oh, wow. You live here now?” Monique says finally, pulling up beside Beth’s SUV. “Now I have something else to be jealous of.” 

I give her knee a squeeze. “Hush you.” I smile and she turns and gives me a loving kiss.

“Can you show me around?” She asks suggestively. 

“Sure, come on in.” I smile, grabbing my bag from the back seat.


	60. The Tour

I thank Barnes as we walk into the house, and Monique is in awe at the marble foyer. 

“Isn’t the entryway beautiful?” I say with a smile. Monique merely nods. I take her hand and bring her to the right. We walk through the sitting room, into the empty dining room. The lights come on as we enter the room, dazzling rainbows glisten from the crystal chandelier. 

“Mom & Dad have kept modernizing the manor as things come available. All the rooms have motion sensors and turn the lights on when someone enters the room.” I smile at the tech involved in making this big place a modern smart home. 

“I still can’t get over how you call Beth’s parents Mom & Dad?” Monique smiles. She gives my hand an affectionate squeeze, kisses my cheek. “What else do you have to show me?” 

We leave the dining room, and head right again, along the stairwell. “Behind the dining room is a small pub.” I say as we enter the room. “Beth’s grandfather was a jazz musician, and converted this men’s lounge into a private jazz club, where he and his band could perform for selective influential people.” 

“Talk about sealing a business deal by buttering your business partners with a private performance.” Monique smiles. “I can see now how her family got to be so wealthy and influential.” 

We walk out of the club, and I show her the lit back yard. You can see the pool and gardens highlighted with various lights. It looks lovely. 

“I want to see you in a bathing suit, can I come here next week for a swim?” Monique says looking at the glistening blue water. 

“Sure.” I smile. “Maybe Sunday, when your dad’s off to golf?” 

“I love the way you think my love.” She says, pulling me around for a kiss. 

We head back into the house, and head into the ballroom. This room’s bright with white marble, gold trim, and black marble accents. 

“Now this room shows the money the family had when it was founded, I wonder if they had to rebuild this room after the war?” Monique says curiously. She pulls me to the piano. “Play for me?” I smile, sit down and ask her if she wants something traditional or modern. “Surprise me.” She says with anticipation. 

I start playing Clocks, by Coldplay. She’s first amazed at my piano play, she becomes enraptured, when I drop down to my soprano voice to sing the song. She leans on the piano as I sing to her. I love this song, as it has a lot of piano in it, and can be sung without the drum accompaniment. 

“So, this is what Cassandra fell in love with, was you playing.” She says tenderly with a smile. What is her favorite song?” 

“You want to know the song that won her heart?” I venture. Not sure I want to share that with her. 

“Please?” Monique says pleadingly. 

Who am I to say ‘no’ to my first girlfriend. I settle back on the bench. “I have something better for you though” I say getting an idea. Instead of playing A Thousand Miles, I start playing a 1000 years. 

I put my passion into my playing, and I can see Monique melt as I voice the love in the song to her. She has that look that Cassandra had when she fell in love with my signing. Monique is about to move to give me a passionate kiss when we hear Mom’s voice. 

“I knew that had to be you, no one in my life has played with so much love and passion.” Mom says coming in from the living room. “Oh, Miss Norwood, this is an unexpected surprise.” 

Monique moves to me as I turn around on the bench to face Mom. She lovingly puts her arm around my shoulder and leans into to me. “I asked Rose to give our relationship another chance. I was … hasty in letting her go.” Monique says hesitantly. 

“Considering Rose’s many traits, that would be an understatement.” Mom smiles. “She really does treat the ones that she loves so well.” Her tone changes. “Now, I hope that this second chance will lead you to treat my daughter better.” 

Monique swallows and nods. “I made that mistake the first time. Rose is so much more special than I ever realized, I won’t take advantage of that again.” She says in a serious tone. 

The warning that Beth’s parents considered me their daughter seems to stress that I’m no longer some lost little naive girl. There is so much more at stake in wanting me back.

“Glad to hear that.” She smiles, you can hear the threat in her undertone. She walks forward, leans over and kisses my cheek. “Good night Rose, don’t stay up too late, we have a long day tomorrow.” 

“Yes Mom.” I smile. I stand up as she steps away. I take Monique’s hand as I guide her to the family living room. 

“Beth’s Mom doesn’t like me, does she?” Monique says in a worried tone. 

“Well, when Dave told me that I had to fess up with you about what I was doing. I did sort of mention that you were a jealous, controlling and maybe a bit abusive..” I say hesitantly.

“You thought I was abusive?” Monique says a bit alarmed. 

“Monique, you can be forceful when you want something. It can be scary to deny you when you really want something.” I say hesitantly, my demeanor denoting a slight subjective stance. 

“I never thought I was being mean to you.” Monique says concerned. “Oh Rose, I’m so sorry.” She says and pulls me in for a hug. “You are so special to me.” 

I hug her tight, if only I could describe how she sometimes made me feel, the reason I fled from her to Leilani and Travis. Maybe this time her love won’t be so conditional? We break after a few moments when Elise comes into the room. 

“Oh! Sorry to disturb you ma’am, where you looking for a nightcap?” Elise is wondering why I’m here and not in my room. 

“No thank you.” I smile. “I had more than enough for supper. I’m just showing my girlfriend around the house.” 

“Very well.” She curtsies. “I’ll leave you to your guest, call if you need anything.” And she heads off into the kitchen. 

“You have servants, and butlers, the Simmons are going to spoil you.” Monique says with a playful smile. 

“Oh hush, you, I’m trying to not let this get to my head.” I say with a mock frown, causing her to giggle. “Let me show you upstairs, that part of the house is for staff, and I don’t think they like me poking my nose in there.” I say pointing out where Elise went. 

We head up the curved staircase to the second floor. “This floor is half staff quarters.” I say motioning to the left, “and half utilitarian.” I guide her to the right wing. “This part of the house has Dad’s study,” I motion to the closed door, “and this beautiful library.” I open the next double doors on the left to the large library. 

“Oh wow, this is bigger than the school’s library!” Monique says in amazement. 

“Beth has said that there are some rare books in here, some of them must be first editions considering how many generations have lived in this house since the 1800s.” I smile. 

“This is amazing!” she looks around at the polished wood bookcases. The furnishings in this room are as comfortable as they are functional antiques. “Have you had a chance to look over any of these yet?”   
I shake my head. “Not yet, I’ve barely have had any time to explore the house, let alone see what’s really here.” 

We go from the library to the media room. Where it’s set up like a small cinema room, with 2 rows of comfortable chairs connected as sectionals. There’s a projection screen TV, with speakers around the room, I look forward to watching a movie here some time. 

“This makes your old living room seem small and simple in comparison.” Monique says looking around the room. 

“Everything in this house makes me wonder why Dave suggested I live on my own instead of coming here first.” I say with a sigh. 

“Trying to see if you could manage on your own?” Monique offers. 

“Yeah, and look were that brought me.” I say with a frown. 

Monique hugs me close. “Oh, come now, it wasn’t all bad, was it?” 

“Not really.” I smile as I hold her. “I guess he didn’t know if Beth’s parents would feel obligated to take me and treat me differently.” I say thoughtfully. “This way, they accepted me into their family, rather than just putting up with me.” 

“Well, it shows they really care for you. Beth’s Mom made me feel like any of my previous boyfriend’s parents. More so than how your sister treats me.” Monique says looking up at me. 

“Beth is my sister, and not as protective as Dave.” I look down at her. “Mom & Dad are treating me like their daughter, it is different.” 

We head out of the media room into the games room. Here are some more traditional games: A billiards table, dart boards, there’s a shelf beside a large wooden table with a stack of board games. 

“Do you know how to play?” Monique says gently caressing the billiards table.

“I know the science behind it, but I’ve never played myself, no.” I say. “Chess, checkers, crokinole, and your average family board games, but not pool or billiards.” I reply. 

“You know how to play chess?” Monique says surprised. 

“Not very well, while I have good logic skills to plan out my strategy, I lack proper analysis, so my opponent can catch me off guard.” I say pointing out my weakness. 

“So you’re not good at everything.” Monique teases me. 

“Yeah, I’m not good at physics. Cassandra and Travis helping me is the only reason I’m passing the course this year.” I admit. 

We move out of the games room and I show her the crafting room next. “I’m so looking forward to using this room later this year.” I say excitedly. 

“You find a sewing room exciting?” Monique looks at me surprised. 

“I can design my own costumes for GeekCon!” I say with a grin. 

Monique smiles. “There’s a side of you I don’t get to see often.” 

I blush. “Sorry, Cassandra and Travis see this side of me more than others.” 

“Because, like you, they’re geeks.” Monique nods.

“We even managed to drag Leilani into our online game of Refuge, she’s actually having fun with it.” I smile. 

“Refuge?” Monique looks at me confused. 

“It’s a massive multi-player fantasy online game.” I smile. “You create a character class, you can party up with other players to take on bigger challenges. Most of the time, when I get into the game, we’re up to 10 people together with my friends. I honestly don’t know what it’s like to quest out on my own.” I chuckle. 

Monique smiles. “I guess that’s what you get when you’re popular, don’t get to play often, and don’t stay up late.” 

“I’m up at 4am every weekday, I’m not the night owl I used to be.” I say in my defense. 

“Just teasing you my love.” She says affectionately, as she pulls me out of the craft room. “Show my your suite.” 

I nod and smile, and put my arm around her as I guide her up to the third floor. “This floor are the master family suites.” I say as we reach the landing. “There are 3 to 4 bedrooms per wing. I have no idea how big Beth’s parents suite is” I start. “Beth’s room is on the right, she said that hers and Doug’s rooms are the same size. This one.” I say as we pass the first door. “Is Collin’s room, it’s smaller than mine. The bedroom they gave me was originally designed for twin girls, so it’s one of the largest in the house.” 

I open the door to the lounge area. Monique immediately notices that this room is about the size of the living room I had at the house - with an even more comfortable couch

“The suite is set up like a one bedroom apartment.” I start. “They added the TV and game console after I moved in, I set up my computer on the secretary desk, and I have a full art corner on the other side of the balcony door.” I turn us around. “There’s even a small kitchenette, the only thing that’s missing is something to cook with, otherwise…” 

“You never need to leave this room.” Monique says in amazement. 

I guide her further into the suite, she notices the pictures on the eye-level shelf. “You kept a picture of me?” She says letting me go and looking over the pictures. She picks up the picture of Dee. “Who’s this?” 

“That’s Diane. The girl up on Britechester.” I say calmly. 

“She reminds me of Cassandra, she’s tall, thin, but petite.” She turns to me. “She’s transgender like you are?” She says confused. “How is it you both look like you were never male to begin with?” 

“Luck of the hormones.” I chuckle. “Some of us were born with a higher estrogen level and already quite feminine before our transition.” I reach forward to the group photo of my support group. “See, not all of us get to be so pretty.” I say pointing out pictures of Winnie, Lisa, and another girl. “That’s Sam.” I say pointing to the short boy with his arm around my waist.

“Monique looks at the picture.” You look more masculine in this photo, when was it taken?” 

“End of the June, I had just gotten over my sunburn from our time at the beach, thankfully, otherwise I’d be a lot more pink than I am.” I say with a fond smile. “The woman on my left is Jane, Dee is behind her, trying to hide from the camera.” 

“She has her hand on your shoulder.” Monique notices the hand on my left shoulder didn’t belong to Jane. 

“Yes, Dee’s been flirting with me since the beach day.” I say fondly, looking at her picture. I really need to reach out to her soon. 

“Which explains how you finally ended up sleeping together.” Monique nods. 

“When I got to Britechester, she couldn’t keep her hands off of me, even though she had a boyfriend at the time.” I point out Tony in the picture. 

“She has a thing for transfolk I see.” Monique says. 

“Some of us date people within our community as it’s safe. Our partner knows what they are getting involved in.” I shrug my shoulders. “It’s better than trying to date someone, only for them to suddenly take exception of what is or isn’t between your legs.” 

“Now that you put it that way, that sort of makes sense.” Monique says. 

We put the pictures back, and I guide her to the bedroom. “On the right is a bathroom designed for two.” I say. 

Monique pokes her head in and turns on the light. “Oh wow. Look at that bathtub!” she says all excited. “Can we try that some time?” 

“Sometime.” I say with a loving smile, pulling her out of the bathroom. She giggles, and I show her the walk in closet. 

“Oh wow! you’ll never run out of room for clothes here!” she says looking around. 

“No, it was designed for two, I don’t even take up half of it.” I notice that there’s a stack of clothing boxes. I let go of Monique, peak at them and smile. 

“What are those?” Monique says, standing beside me.

“Outfits for tomorrow’s dance.” Moving the boxes in a nice row. I open mine and pull it out of the box. 

“Rose…” Monique is speechless. “You are going to look so amazing in that dress.” She says lightly touching it. “I’m so jealous that I’m not the one taking you now that I know that you’re going to be wearing this.”   
“It comes with a black lace shrug to cover my arms.” I smile admiringly, seeing it in real life. “I so look forward showing it off to everyone at the dance tomorrow.” 

“So, you plan on making an entrance.” Monique says with a smile, as I put the dress back in the box. 

“Exactly. I’m tired of hiding from the world, now that I feel comfortable with who am, it’s time to show everyone how much of a woman I am.” I smile. 

Monique reaches up and pulls me into a deep, loving kiss. “You are amazing.” She smiles. 

I show her the cushion corner by the balcony door. “This is our favorite place to cuddle.” I comment and Monique nods. 

She turns and suddenly gasps. “Rose, you have a purple accentuated four poster canopy bed, and it’s huge!” 

It’s so comfortable to sleep in.” I grin. Sitting down on the bed and pat the bed. She sort of flops down on it. 

“Oh wow!” she says, “Okay, I wish I could sleep here with you.” She sighs wistfully. 

“You’re not the only one to make that comment.” I smile. 

Monique looks over to her left, and then reaches out to the pillow. One of Leilani’s straight black hairs is on the bed. “So, I see.” Her expression changes. 

“I haven’t had sex with anyone in this bed Monique.” I sigh and droop my shoulders. “You asking me back was actually rather upsetting.” I say trying to find the words. 

“You had a meltdown from my asking you back?” Monique says surprised. 

“I did.” I say sadly. “I thought we were done, and your sudden admission that you still loved me and wanted us back together took me off guard…” I start. “My circle came to help me sort out my emotions, we cuddled for the night, nothing more.”

“For someone so strong, you are still so vulnerable and soft.” Monique says, reaching out and putting a hand gently on my arm. “I sometimes forget how emotionally young you are.” She says apologetically. She looks at me tenderly. “I won’t take advantage of that again.” Her hand wraps my bicep and she gives my arm a tug. “Come here.” 

I smile, and turn around, straddling her I lean over and look into those beautiful brown eyes. She wraps her arms around my neck and pulls me down for a kiss. We make out for a few minutes, it feels so good to have her in my arms, that I almost lose myself. I finally break our embrace and pull myself up. 

“It’s late, you should probably head home.” I say softly. 

Monique pouts, and then takes a deep breath. “I can’t ask to stay the night can I?” I shake my head softly. “Well, it was worth a shot.” She gives me a smile. 

She lets go of my neck, and I climb off the bed, and put my arm out to help her up. I pull her into my arms as she starts to rise and she eeps at the sudden motion and giggles. “You’re so strong.” She says caressing my arms. “I missed your touch so much.” She says dreamily. She looks up into my eyes. “See me out?” she asks sweetly. 

“Of course my love.” I say with a tender voice. 

Monique kisses me one last time before I release her and we walk hand in hand out of the bedroom.

I see Monique to her car, giving her one last kiss goodnight before she gets into her car. “See you in the morning my love.” She says in a loving tone. 

I take a step back as she pulls out, and she gives me one last wave, as she turns the car round and drives off. I sigh, I could have easily said yes, but I wasn’t going to let myself fall into that trap. I need to get her ready for the fact that tomorrow night will be about Travis and the girls, and not about her. I didn’t want to give her false hopes that she was the main girlfriend again.

I look at the time on my phone, noting it’s late for me to go to bed. I see a message that came in while I was playing the piano. 

-= Cassandra =- Is she gone?

-= Rose =- Yes, she did not stay the night. 

A couple of minutes later my girlfriend responds. 

-= Cassandra =- She did ask once she saw your bed though…

-= Rose =- She did, but I didn’t want to give her false hopes that she is my main love in my life again. Tomorrow night will be all about you and the others. If she’s lucky she might get one dance. 

-= Cassandra =- And me? 

-= Rose =- You will be absolutely spoiled like the love of my life deserves to be.

-= Cassandra =- :blush: Chow. Ti amo mia bella Rose. 

-= Rose =- Buonanotte, ti amo mia amata. 

-= Cassandra =- I need you to tell me that in person tomorrow, just so that I can hear your lovely voice. 

I smile as I walk back into the house, thanking William for letting me in. He must have heard me leave and was waiting for me to come back. 

I do my evening routine, get undressed and slip into bed, dreaming of my lovely Cassandra. Her soft, light body, that mild scent of a field of flowers that seems to follow wherever she goes. Like she’s not just one flower, but a full field of summer sunshine…


	61. Friday Morning Baking

“Rose? Rose wake up!” Beth’s voice calls out to me. When I don’t respond I feel her hand on my shoulder and I suddenly sit up awake, Beth suddenly backs away, not expecting the sudden motion. 

“What?” I say groggily “What time is it?” I say scratching my head.

“3am.” Beth says calmly. 

My eyes grow accustomed to the dim room, and I look up at my sister and frown. 

“Sorry to wake you up earlier, but Mom wants to get to the bakery early, and I’m driving her.” Beth says apologetically

I stretch and yawn, allowing the sheets to drop from my body as I do. In the dim light Beth sees my naked chest for the first time. 

“You sleep naked?” She says suddenly surprised. 

I frown untangling the knot at the base of my neck. “Sometimes.” I mumble, not bothering to cover myself up, I’m too tired to care, and Beth is a woman, so why bother. 

“Before I see the rest of your charms, I’ll leave you to get dressed.” Beth teases. “Meet you downstairs for breakfast.” 

I yawn again and blink my eyes. “Okay.” I say with a half smile, still not quite awake. 

I watch Beth walk away, and wait till she closes the bedroom partition before sliding out of bed. I perform my morning stretch routine, unclothed, before making my way to the bathroom. 

10 minutes later I’m joining my family in the dining room. This morning’s breakfast is some sort of oatmeal with macerated berries. It’s simple, warm, and delicious. I’m dressed in my work clothes, and leave my backpack by the door as I sit down across from Beth where I find my bowl waiting for me. 

Mom and Beth are talking about what is needed to be baked this morning, apparently we’re going in early to help. I’ve never worked in a kitchen like that before. Sure I worked in the school cafeteria, but that was as a dishwasher and cleaner, I’ve never actually done any sort of large scale cooking or baking like Mom is talking about. 

“Rose, I’ll show you how to make the cinnamon buns.” Mom says breaking me from my thoughts. “Then you can make the rest of the trays on your own.” 

“Okay.” I say thoughtfully. “I’m looking forward to learning.” I smile. 

We finish breakfast and head out to Beth’s vehicle, I sit in the back as Mom explains to me what we need to prepare this morning. There’s only going to be the three of us, as the others won’t be in till almost noon - which is why they wanted my help this morning. 

It’s a cloudy day, and the sun hasn’t risen yet, but it feels warmish with no hint of rain on the wind. Beautiful day for a dance. 

I pretty much have what they expect of me down pat by the time we reach downtown, and Mom turns on all the lights as we get in. The glaring brightness takes a moment to get used to. 

“You’re a night owl.” Mom turns as I squint. “You are more comfortable in the dark than a lit room?” 

“Yes.” I say blinking, trying to get my eyes to settle from the sudden light blindness. 

I watch as she makes the first tray of cinnamon buns. Catching her motions and fluid grace as she quickly prepares the first batch, cuts it, places it on the tray and puts it in the now warm ovens. She hands me a well loved index card that’s stained with butter and so that I have the recipe. I read it carefully and keep it handy as I go from step to step. I hope they don’t mind I’ve improvised a couple of steps. 

As the first batch comes out of the oven, Mom looks at me. “Rose, why are your buns so fluffy?” 

I give her a guilty look. “I may have improvised a little, I find they tend to be heavy and a little tough when they’re not fresh out of the oven, you’re not angry are you?” 

Mom smiles. “Well, lets see how they sell, then I’ll tell you if I’m upset or not.” 

Beth gives me a smile. “You did the same when you first started at the bakery, didn’t you?” I give her a look. 

“Well, I was only 12, but yes.” Beth blushes. 

“It’s what led to our cinnamon toast crunch muffins.” Mom smiles. “Our muffins are unique in the region, and people come from Everglades and Newcrest to get some.” 

We work well the three of us. Despite my short term memory failings, Mom rarely needs to ask me to do something twice, she seems to know how to work on my talents and shortcomings. The bakery opens as Beth’s cousin Samantha arrives. We leave the two of them to run things as we go next door to open the café for the morning. 

I already have things going by the time Monique arrives. I let her in and she gives me a loving kiss. “Good morning.” She smiles. “You’re here early.”

“Tell me about it!” I grumble. “My family’s had me up since 3 am getting the bakery going for the day!” 

“Was it at least fun?” Monique says a little worried. 

“Rose is a natural in the kitchen.” Beth says coming out for some coffee. “I look forward to tasting some of what she baked this morning.” She says with a smile. 

“Oh?” Monique says now curious. 

“I made a few alterations to the things they had me make.” I blush. 

“Like these cinnamon buns.” Beth says showing Monique a plate on the counter, it’s cut up in sample size pieces. “Try one.” 

Monique lets go of me and walks over to the counter. She grabs one of the pieces, pops in in her mouth. Her eyes suddenly go wide, and she makes a hmmm sound as she starts chewing. 

“These are so light and fluffy, they almost melt in your mouth!” She says all excitedly. “Like the blooming roses, but cinnamon flavoured!” 

“That was Mom’s comment as well.” Beth says with a smile. 

“I’m going to run next door and get a dozen before work!” She says and suddenly dashes out.

“A way to a person’s heart is through their stomach.” Beth smiles as she watches Monique go. “You have a new fan for your cooking.” 

“Tell me about it.” I say taking a sip of coffee. I really need it this morning. “I already have my lovers hooked on the few meals I did make!” 

“Seems that artistic talent of yours isn’t just good for what you can draw or paint.” Beth teases as she heads back into the office. 

Being Friday, there are already people waiting to come in the moment we open the doors for the day. We quickly deal with the morning rush, with little to no time to talk or do much between customers. It takes the three of us to keep up with the demand, so it’s 7am before I realize it. 

As we leave for the day, I tell Beth I’ll see her home for supper. Monique gives me a kiss before getting into the car with her dad. We wave to each other as they drive off, and I whistle to myself as I start walking to Leilani’s place. 

After a block I put in my Ear Budz and start listening to my Simify play list. I’m using one of my running lists to keep me up-beat today. I have a feeling I’m going to need a power nap before the end of the day - or I won’t last out the dance tonight.

I get to Leilani’s place and Mama greets me happily as I come through the door. 

“We missed you yesterday sugar.” She smiles as I hand her a brown paper bag. “What’s this?” 

“Breakfast.” I smile. “Made it myself at the bakery this morning before my shift at the café.” 

“Why you are full of wonder and talent.” Mama smiles as she takes the bag, I feel a hand on my shoulder from my girlfriend’s dad as he walks by. 

“Morning Rose.” He smiles happily. 

“Good morning I smile. I go to the fridge and recover the orange juice and grab glasses for everyone. 

“Just how well do you know my kitchen girl?” Mama says as she watches me. 

“I’m very observant.” I smile as I carry the glasses and juice to the table. 

“I also notice how easy you carry four large glasses in one hand without even one slipping.” She says as I use my free hand to take one glass at a time and place them - once the juice pitcher is on the table. 

“I used to work in the school cafeteria.” I say as I go back to the kitchen to get plates. “Serving four is nothing when you are cleaning up after 200 to 500 students at a time.” 

“You worked in your school cafeteria?” Mama says surprised, watching my graceful motions. 

“Since grade 7.” I nod. “Gave me something active to do during my lunch hour.” I say with a smile. “My grammar school was sad to see me leave when I went off to High School.”

“You are a wonder. Now, go wake Leilani so you two can shower, I doubt you want to smell like coffee and a bakery all day.” Mama says noting the aroma clinging to me.

“Thank you.” I smile, and head upstairs. 

Leilani is wakeful when the light from the hallway pierces her room, she frowns in her sleep and relaxes when I close the door. So it is on the second kiss that she responds passionately to my morning tenderness. 

“Good morning.” She smiles at me lovingly. “I love it when you come and wake me up.” Her expression changes. “You smell different this morning.” 

“I worked in the bakery before my normal shift at the café this morning.” I reply. 

“So that’s why you smell like cinnamon and sugar on top of a coffee house this morning.” She smiles. 

“Shower?” 

“I so definitely need one yes.” I smile. 

“Good.” She smiles. “Carry me to the bathroom?” she says biting her lower lip.

“As you wish milady.” I say in a romantic tone, and Leilani giggles. 

“You have me so spoiled.” She sighs, as I push the covers away. 

“For you, anything.” I smile. She puts her arms around my neck as I effortlessly pick her up and carry her off to the bathroom. 

She helps me get undressed and we tenderly and sensually wash each other down in the shower. Leaving us both turned on. Not wanting to risk too much this morning, we masturbate each other till we are satisfied and finish up by washing each other’s hair. 

“I wonder if the others are disappointed you don’t smell like strawberries when we shower together in the morning.” Leilani comments on her Lavender scented soap. 

“I haven’t heard anyone complain.” I reply as I rinse her off. “I suppose I could always leave a bottle of my stuff here.” I say with a suggestive smile. 

“Would you!? Your soap always leaves my hair feeling so soft and silky!” Leilani says excitedly. 

“We’ll sort that out this weekend.” I smile. “I need to bring a change of clothes for the week.” 

“Okay.” She grins as I comb her hair. I’m so jealous that her hair is so straight, it sometimes surprises me, I would expect someone of her complexion to have frizzy hair like Yasmin’s, but her hair goes poker straight the moment you start to brush it. “What?” she says noticing me admiring glance. 

“I wish my hair was as straight as yours.” I say wistfully. “Mine used to be, but went curly once I started my transition.” I say. 

“I didn’t know hormones could affect the body like that.” Leilani says as I hand her the brush and sit down on the toilet - so she can reach all of my head easily. 

“There are a lot of things hormones have done that I wasn’t expecting, like changing my entire scent and sweat glands. And how I now find boys attractive.” I wince as she works through that knot at the base of my neck. 

“Sorry.” She apologizes, noticing my reaction.

“That’s okay, that knot’s been bugging me all morning.” I ease her worry. I notice that Leilani’s not just brushing me hair straight, but curling the brush as she works. “What are you doing?” 

“I noticed that, if you just brush it straight, your hair is wavy, with the occasional spiral around your ears. But if I do this, I can get your hair nice and bouncy curly. Look in the mirror.” 

I get up and do as she says, testing the bounce of my curls as I look over what she’s done. “You are amazing my love.” I say tenderly. 

“I need to keep my lovely Rose as pretty as she can be.” Leilani beams. 

I turn and give my girlfriend a kiss. “Thank you.” 

I give Leilani a loving kiss before we part ways as I get one of the last sets of clothing I had left here to change into. I choose my green a-line dress, it’s balmy 26°c today, so I don’t want to dress in something too heavy. I get into my girlfriend’s bedroom, and she’s already in a bra & panties, and choosing today’s clothing. 

“Aren’t you going to be chilly in that?” Leilani says as she pulls out jeans and a light sweater. 

“Anything over room temperature is warm for me honey.” I say, reminding her that I’m used to a colder northern climate, and even snow. “Wait till your first snow day in Britechester, then you’ll see what cold really is.” I chuckle. 

“They get snow in Britchester!?” Leilani says surprised, and I nod. “I’ve never seen snow before.” She says thoughtfully. “Will I like it?” She asks looking up at me. 

I shrug. “Most people from down south overdress in tuques and heavy coats, and spend winter complaining about the cold.” I say, thinking of the vendors from warmer climes that come to the city. 

“Tuque? What’s that?” Leilani says confused, pulling on her jeans. 

“It’s a warm wool hat that covers your head down to your ears.” I say. When it drops to zero or colder, you’ll want something to keep your head warm.” I smile. Leilani gives me a confused look. “I’ll bring you back one when I go up there during winter break.” 

“Okay.” She smiles and that is the end of that conversation for now. 

We’re discussing today’s math test as we come down the stairs. Quizzing each other on the easy formulas that don’t require pencil and paper. 

“Rose brought us breakfast this morning.” Mama says happily.

“Wait till you taste it.” Her dad smiles as he reads his morning paper. I always find it interesting that he still reads a newspaper instead of reading headlines on a phone or tablet.

We sit down across from each other, and I wait till Leilani takes the first bite before starting to eat mine. 

“Oh.. Hmmm.. Oh my gosh these are delicious. They melt in your mouth like a cinnamon blooming rose!” my girlfriend smiles happily. 

“I’m glad you like it, I made them myself this morning at the bakery before working my regular shift at the café.” I smile. 

“You are such an amazing cook Rose, you should be going into fine dining and not computer science.” Leilani praises me as she takes another bite.

“I want to go to Foxbury like my brother and not Magnolia College like my father did.” I say with a frown.

“There’s nothing wrong with the Capitol District College.” Leilani’s dad says. 

“No one lives in the Capitol District, it’s a business and government town with workers and students living in the suburbs outside of the city. The only good thing about Magnolia Promenade beside the college is the shopping. Britechester has a much more vibrant and down home feeling to the city with bistros, cafés and little curio shops scattered all over town.” I say with a frown. “Not to mention some of the best bars I’ve been to.” 

“You are technically not old enough to go to bars young lady, or should I remind you that - if any of those places had realized they were serving a minor and not a university student - you would have been kicked out of those clubs?” Mama says in a stern voice. 

“Sorry Mama.” I say putting my head down.

“I’m just glad you didn’t get into any trouble up there.” You will be better behaved next time I hope.” She says in a motherly tone. 

“Yes ma’am.” I say in a obedient tone. 

“Good, now finish your breakfast, you probably have unfinished homework having spent the night out of town watching the boys play.” She finishes. 

“I do.” I smile. 

Leilani works on her Economics homework while I catch up with yesterday’s lessons. We chat idly about the dance and what we think the decor will be, the music they’ll play. Like Monique, she’s surprised I’ve never been a school dance before, so she gives me a better idea of what to expect.

Soon we’re packing up our things and heading to the Goth residence. Leilani and I are debating if we’ll finish the current novel we’re studying for literature when we spot both children on the balcony. Alexander races down the stairs and hops into my arms as we get close. He quickly clambers up on to my shoulders. 

“I swear he’s your favorite non-relative.” Cassandra giggles as she comes up to me for a kiss. 

“Ew.” Alexander says covering his eyes. 

“Hey, you wanted up there, you’re going to have to deal with my loving your sister.” I say bouncing him a bit. 

“He giggles and hangs on to my forehead. “Okay..” He says in resignation. 

“What are you two talking about?” Cassandra probes as she takes my other arm. 

“We’re wondering if we’ll finish Charlotte’s Web this week, we only seem to be halfway through the novel, but Ms. Cannabury was hinting at starting a new story next week.” Leilani replies.

“That would be a huge cram just before the dance. I hope not!” Cassandra frowns.

“I’m hoping that, with the Harvestfest Long weekend, we’ll get the book finished next week.” I reply. “I’m sort of liking this one.” I smile. 

Alexander is quiet most of the trip as we discuss the book, like he’s using this opportunity as advanced reading knowledge. I comment about it at some point, and Cassandra confirms my thoughts. 

“He likes to read.” She says, which is why I call him my little nerdling.” 

“Hey!” he says offended and my girls and I giggle. 

“That’s okay my young padawan, there is more to learning than just music.” I say to him.. 

“Hey, yeah!” he says happily. 


	62. Friday School Fun

We see Alexander off to his school, allowing Trent to catch up with us. He gives me a good morning kiss, and Chris yells “Wohoo!” as he drives past. 

We shake our heads as we head to the school. We pass Chris and Penny kissing and I let go of Leilani long enough to give Chris a light playful punch.

“Hey!” He says mildly offended and smiles when he sees my playful grin. 

“Come on you two, quit making out, or you’ll miss class.” I tease the couple and they laugh before joining us. 

I see Leilani off with a kiss as Trent leaves our side to give Zoe a loving good morning kiss. I smile at my two friends as Cassandra and I continue on to our lockers. Travis is already at his, sorting out his books. 

“Good morning handsome.” I say in a seductive tone. 

Travis puts his arms around me and gives me a loving embrace. “You are the ray of sunshine that make cloudy days like this tolerable.” He says with a smile. “You showered with our girlfriend this morning.” He says after a moment. “You smell of lavender like she does.” 

“Lavender and honey, it’s what makes her so sweet to love.” I smile and give him a kiss before going back to my locker. 

“What about me?” Cassandra says as I pull my literature and notebook out.

“You, my darling are not just one lovely flower, but a field full of summer sunshine, you are amazing to hold in my arms.” I say as I turn to pull her into my embrace. 

My girlfriend relaxes into my arms and sighs. “You always seem to know what to say to make me smile.” She says dreamily. 

She kisses along my jawline and I moan softly, her touch is so tender, so loving. We kiss for a long moment before Travis nudges us, we’re about to miss the bell. Travis and Cassandra put their arms around me as we walk off to class together. 

“You’re getting more affectionate.” Leilani comments on our way to social sciences class afterward. 

“Isn’t that what you all have been encouraging me to do?” Cassandra says confused. 

“I think she’s just surprised that, after all your shyness, you’re the one starting it.” Tina smiles.

“Rose said I set the pace to our intimacy.” Cassandra replies. “So that’s what I’m doing.” She says matter of fact. 

“I think Leilani’s just not used to seeing me melt in your arms like the way I do when you kiss along my neck…” I say with a fond smile. I can still feel her lips along my jawline from this morning, her touch is unlike any of my other lovers.

“Yeah, Rose’s weak point, and she found it right away.” Travis smiles. 

“I’m not that bad.” I try to defer the conversation from one of my erogenous zones. 

“Really?” Travis says challengingly. 

“Nope.” I say with a grin. 

Travis lets go of my hand when we enter class. “So doing this doesn’t make you turn into butter?” He challenges, he steps in front of me, reaches out and passes his hand over my ear and touches that one spot in the back of my neck, then draws his finger back along my jawline. I moan and melt into his arms. 

My girls giggle as I let go a deep breath in his arms. “You’re horrible.” I mumble in his shoulder. 

“That’s amazing.” Penny says as she passes us. 

“It doesn’t work on everyone.” He says. “Leilani’s is in a completely different spot.” He says teasingly. 

“Not here.” I say as I recover from this touch. “I will not be held responsible for a horny girlfriend for the rest of the day.” Leaving our friends to giggle and laugh as Leilani’s face darkens in a blush. 

We sit down as the teacher calls class to order, and we focus on today’s lessons. 

I get into my sophomore history class, and we’re starting a new region: Provence. I’m going to find this bit interesting, we were doing Egypt when I left the city. My mother’s family originates from Provence, I’m going to love this.  
As class ends, we get up from our chairs, Trent makes a point of giving me a kiss. 

“You’re not even going to hide your affections in class are you?” I say sweetly as we hold hands walking out of the classroom. 

“Should I?” Trent asks affectionately. 

“Well, just keep in mind that our sophomore classes now think you have two girlfriends, you prepared for that kind of reputation?” I say teasingly. 

“I think I can manage that, does that mean you’re now considering yourself my girlfriend?” he say with a hopeful tone. 

“I think it’s safe to say we’re getting there.” I say seductively. And give him a loving kiss before sauntering off to my locker. I can’t deny it, I have to admit I’ve fallen for Trent.  
  


We get into the lunchroom and excitedly talk about the upcoming dance. Who’s going with who, sorting out travel arrangements, a few are even talking about sleeping arrangements. 

“I’ll be taking the girls to Rose’s place.” Travis says. “We’ll have supper, get changed, and then I’ll be bringing us all here. 

“Are you going all the way home after the dance?” Leilani asks curiously. 

“No, she’s coming home with me.” Cassandra says before I can say anything. “Mama’s going to be a chaperon and doesn’t think it’s fair to ask any of us to drive her all the way out to the manor tonight after midnight.”

“I had a hunch your mom would suggest that.” I say leaning into my girlfriend. Leilani looks like she’s about to object. “Your mother would not let me sleep over tonight honey, at least not in your room.” I say squeezing Leilani close. 

“I thought it would be worth a shot.” She says leaning into me. 

“I had a feeling that mia amata was planning this and had even said so to Beth.” I smile. 

“What does ‘mia amata’ mean?” Zoe asks. 

“My beloved.” Cassandra says leaning into me lovingly. “I love it when she uses my mother tongue affectionately.”

Travis looks like he was building up to the same argument as Leilani, but one exchange of looks with Cassandra, and he will not challenge her statement. 

“What are you planning tonight?” I whisper in her ear suggestively. 

“I want to feel you in my arms like I did Wednesday night, it was the best sleep I’ve had since the slumber party.” She says as she melts in my arms. 

“Okay.” I smile. She’s not planning sex yet, I don’t know if I should feel relieved of disappointed.

I can tell by their conversation that Brent is doubtfully going home tonight. Not how Amber is flirting with him. 

I can see Chris and Penny debating if tonight will be more than a dance. It’s interesting seeing that first talk of ‘should there be sex’. 

I look over beside us, and Mia and Pam are very cuddly today at lunch. “You two look like a lovely couple.” I say just loud enough to reach them. 

Mia looks up and blushes. “Sorry, Pam’s so hot, now that I know she likes me, it’s really hard to keep my hands off of her.” 

“That’s exactly how I feel for her sister Mia, I totally understand where you are coming from.” Chris says affectionately.   
Pam and Penny look at each other questioningly and then nod, they each turn to their dates and whisper something.

Tina smiles. “Their parents are out of town for the weekend visiting family, I have a feeling both are being invited to sleep over.” 

“I wonder which couple will be the loudest in bed.” Amber says suggestively. 

“All I know is that I’m glad you have no neighbours.” Brent says teasing his girlfriend leaving her to blush. 

“I can’t help myself with you.” Amber says bashfully. 

“There’s a statement I can agree with.” Tina says giving me a flirtive glance. 

Chris gets up and asks Travis something. He puts up his finger and asks me to lean forward. 

We get within whisper distance. “Chris needs condoms, he wants to say yes., but not till he has protection.” I smile and nod. 

I reach into my backpack, and pull out 3, pass them to Travis under the table who passes them to Chris who slips them into his pocket. Chris has this ‘I’m going to get lucky’ grin on his face as he goes back to Penny, he whispers something in her ear and she pulls him in for a deep long kiss.

“I can’t believe you keep…” Leilani starts, and I put my finger on her lips. 

“A Llama Scout is always prepared for anything.” I say with a coy smile and she kisses my finger. 

“You’re incorrigible.” She says with a cunning smile. 

“Considering she never uses them, I’m surprised she keeps them too.” Tina says with a seductive smile. 

“I’ve used them.” I say matter of fact. “With Lee.” 

“Really?” Cassandra gets curious. 

“He’s 6 years older than I am, who knows what partners he’s had.” I say calmly. 

“She has a point there.” Travis says eating his sandwich. 

“I still can’t believe you slept with an adult.” Leilani says, shaking her head. 

“So is Diane, she’s 2 years older than I am.” I say matter of fact. 

“And none of these lovers had an issue of sleeping with a minor?” Brent says surprised. 

“After you see what’s between Rose’s legs, it’s really easy to forget anything else but how much pleasure she can give you.” Tina says dreamily.

“Now there’s something I can definitely agree with.” Leilani says in a sultry tone. 

Zoe gets this thoughtful look on her face, and blushes when Trent nudges her. 

“I think we’ve peaked someone’s interests.” Tina says in a playful tone. 

“I will not create a rift between you two.” I say to Zoe. “You need to be true to each other if I’m going to be involved at all.” 

“Yes, Rose.” Both Trent and Zoe reply. 

“They are so adorable when they act like that.” Tina leans over and smiles. 

“I learned my mistake with Monique.” I say in a calm tone. “If this relationship is going to work between all of us, we need to be honest and true to each other. No one hides anything, no one keeps secrets, we all in this together.” 

“So that’s how an open poly amorous relationship works?” Tim says curious. “I mean, none of you seem to hide your affection for one another, I’ve been trying to figure out how you all work it out without getting jealous of one another.”

“Some times, some of us have doubts.” Travis says honestly. “But Rose makes sure that no one of us is favoured more than the other. So we don’t feel forgotten or left out.” 

“Speaking of Monique.” Leilani says looking up. I glance her way and Monique as approaching our table with a smile on her face.

My girlfriend doesn’t hesitate in leaning over the table and giving me a loving kiss. “Hello my darling.” She says. “What time are you all going to be at the dance?” 

“We’re aiming for 7.” Travis answers, as he’s driving. “But it’s a fair drive in from the manor, so we may not get here till 7:30.” 

“First slow songs start at 9, remember your promise.” Monique says affectionately. 

“First song goes to Cassandra, second to Travis, we’ll see how many they play in a row.” I say without hesitation. 

Cassandra hugs me tight as she realizes she gets the first dance. Monique looks thoughtful for a moment, she glances at Leilani, I can see them challenge each other who will dance with me next. 

“I get third dance.” Tina announces, breaking the tension. “You can see about getting in the next round at 10.” She says giving Monique a challenging look. 

Monique looks at Tina surprised for a moment. She glances at me and notices I make no argument to her statement. She gives Leilani a ‘you won this time’, look while Leilani just realizes what Tina did for her. 

“Very well.” She gives a mild smile. “See you all tonight.” She says, leaning over and giving me another kiss. 

We wait till Monique is out of earshot, Penny is the first to speak up. “Girl, you are crazy domineering when you want to be.” 

“Rose wants us all to be happy, so I’m keeping her promise to us. Monique comes last, which means Leilani and I get a dance with our girlfriend before she does.” Tina says with a smile. 

“You have just given me another reason to appreciate you being in this relationship.” Leilani smiles. 

Tina reaches across the table, and Leilani doesn’t hesitate in taking her hand. “Like Rose just said, we stay true to each other, so that everyone benefits from this relationship.” She glances at me. “Monique is the side girlfriend and not part of this circle, correct?” I nod and smile. “Which means we come first.” She says matter of fact. 

“I love you.” I say in adoration. Tina’s strong, forthcoming attitude has really helped me be a stronger person emotionally, I have a lot to learn from her.

Travis looks at us. “So, This is why you two are dating isn’t it?” 

“Rose is physically strong, but emotionally she’s still fragile. Her meltdown Wednesday proved that.” Tina says affectionately. “One of us needs to be the strong one to lead this relationship so that we can all stay happy.” 

“You won’t get an argument from me.” Leilani says in adoration.

“You just gave me a new appreciation of how you two work on the soccer field.” Penny says. “You work off of each other’s strengths for the benefit of the team.” 

“About time you figured that one out.” Amber says with a grin, popping a carrot in her mouth. 

“Rose and I are constantly planning the next play together, then we relay that to the rest of you on the field, so that there are no surprises. We all need to know where the ball is going, so that - if the opposition steals it - we’re all ready to react to it.” Tina gives her winning smile. I love this girl so much. 

“She’s as much my co-captain as anything.” I smile at her lovingly. “I wouldn’t be able to lead you all without her support.” 

Mia looks over at us and smiles. “I’ve been wondering what the connection between you two is.” We look over to her. “You two just seem to have this unspoken bond, like you’re both thinking the same thing. Half the time I don’t even see you two talk, you just give each other this look as if you are thinking the same thing, and then react to it.” 

“Well, I sometimes get other ideas.” Tina smiles. 

“Yes, and that’s when you motion or chat, and then adjust.” Penny says. “Do you realize how many of us are jealous of that connection you share. Half the team was waiting for you two to admit you were a couple.” 

“Were we that obvious?” Tina says surprised. 

“From the first day of trials.” Amber smiles. 

Tina looks at me, and I shrug. “Something in me would not let you walk away that day.” 

“I love you so much.” Tina says tenderly.

The bell rings and we work our way out of the cafeteria to our lockers. I give Trent a kiss as we part, I won’t be seeing him again till the dance. Friday afternoons are all my Junior grade classes.

Once we’re done our math test, we are told to leave the room so that we don’t disturb the rest of the class. Cassandra is the first to leave, followed by Travis, and then myself. Tina follows soon after. 

“I got a text from Pam asking what’s between you and Trent?” Tina whispers as we sit in the square between lockers. 

“Trent’s been increasingly affectionate in class.” I say without hesitation. Travis looks at me. “He’s even kissed me in front of the others in the classroom. Between our affections out here in the halls, there’s rumour we’ll be dating soon - if not already.”

“You’ve fallen for him.” Cassandra says, noting my body language. 

I look at my boyfriend. “I’m sorry Travis, but - like you, he’s just so sweet and affectionate - I think I’m falling in love with him too.” 

“Considering the way he looks at Rose, I’d say he’s already there.” Zoe says joining us. Kneeling on the bench behind me, she leans against my back, her arms around my neck. “No stealing my boyfriend you.” She says playfully. 

I look up at her, and she gives me a kiss. “He’s yours first, but there are dangers of sharing a boyfriend.” 

“You end up falling in love with the other partner in your love triangle.” Travis says, making no qualms in hiding the love he’s developed for Leilani. 

Zoe puts her head down, snuggling into my shoulder. “Okay, I can learn to live with that.” She smiles. 

“So what are you two planning tonight?” I say with a playful tone. 

“Trent’s parents are at his grandparents, he’s supposed to join them Sunday, meaning we have tonight and tomorrow to ourselves, it might happen this weekend.” Zeo blushes. 

“Only if you are sure you are ready for it.” I say in a serious tone. “You’re the one that can get pregnant, so you have to be sure you want this.” 

“I’ve been wanting this sooner.” Zoe says, admitting her feelings for Trent. “He’s the one who’s been uncertain If he wants us to go all the way.” 

“You’re both virgins, so this is a big thing.” Cassandra says without missing a beat. 

“I know.” Zoe says snuggling into me more. “Trent reminds me of a male Rose, I’ve wanted him the moment I saw him with his shirt off.” 

“Do you think Trent will ever play with Rose’s thing?” Tina wonders out loud. 

Zoe playfully slaps Tina. “Trent is like Travis, he’s straight, he has no interest in what’s between Rose’s legs, he loves Rose for the girl that she is.” 

“You’ve talked about this, haven’t you?” Cass says realizing her comment. 

“Yes. He says that’s for me to play with, he’s more interested in what assets Rose has to offer.” Zoe says not holding back. 

“I can definitely agree with that statement.” Travis says giving me a seductive smile. 

“From what I can tell in your shorts, you’re both about the same size, but I haven’t felt Travis hard, so I can’t tell for sure.” Zoe says. 

“Now there’s a side of Zoe I’ve never seen before.” Cassandra says with a smile. 

The bell ringing breaks our conversation, as a very defeated looking Leilani trudges out of math class. I get up, breaking away from the others and she comes running into my arms for comfort. 

“I think you did really well, don’t doubt yourself, okay?” I say firmly. Leilani is near tears, nods and hugs me tight. “You will pass this course my dear, this is only a 10% graded test, even if you don’t do well on this one, we’ll help you prepare for the mid-term in two weeks.” Leilani relaxes against me and nods. 

We head into Grammar class together. 


	63. Preperations

After school, my loves and I gather outside the doors of school. I hug and kiss Zoe & Trent and look forward to seeing them at the dance tonight. We wave to our soccer team as we will only see about half of them at the dance. We make our way as we do in school. I spot Susan off the corner of my eye taking a shot of us walking together. I smile at her and keep walking, most likely something to add to my fan page. 

We get into the van with Travis & Cassandra up front. Leilani & I in the middle, and Tina in the back seat. We excitedly talk about what music we hope we’ll hear tonight, and who will be voted the HarvestFest Couple tonight. Tina still thinks that Cassandra and I should win, she is so sweet, not thinking of herself. In all honesty, the dress and pantsuit combinations would be just as likely that one of the girls will be paired off with her or Travis with how we all match.   
We happily greet Barnes as he lets us in the house, he smiles. I think he’s liking when I show up with my friends. We head up to my room first to drop off our bags and get settled. I remind my friends that we’ll eat first, Pierre will prepare an early supper for us. We’re halfway through a game of Mashups when Elise tells us that supper is being served, and to make our way down to the dining room. 

It’s just the five of us for supper right now, Beth and her parents won’t be home for another hour or more - depending on how the day goes. So we animately talk and tease each other over supper. Tina opts to sit across from me, rather than on the end of Cassandra. I don’t realize why till she plays footsies with me under the table. I give her a cheeky smile and play her game for a while before Leilani catches on why Tina’s face is flushed. I had just hit Tina’s sensitive inner thigh and hitting the right spot when our girlfriend tells us to behave. 

“You’re just miffed that you’re not on the receiving end of this.” I tease her as I give one last sock-footed poke at Tina, making her gasp. “Tina’s inner legs are so much fun to play with.” I say seductively as she gives me a sultry smile. 

“I never knew that till I met you.” She says in a husky voice, clearly turned on.

“No shower before the dance you two.” Leilani says. “If I can’t, neither can you.” 

Tina pouts. “Fine. Take away my fun.” 

“That’s my line!” Leilani says, leaving us all laughing. 

“Leaving you girls to take a shower might be a good idea, otherwise, I’m going to be dealing with at least one horrible flirt all night long.” Travis says looking at our girlfriend. 

“Would I do that?” Leilani says biting her lower lip teasingly. 

“If not you, then Rose here, by how she’s reacting beside me right now.” Travis says, I’m sure he can smell I’m turned on right now with Tina’s teasing. 

“I’m not used to seeing that shade of green on Rose, I agree.” Cassandra says watching my face. 

We enjoy our lasagna dinner continuing to tease each other making things worse.

Once we’re done eating, we head upstairs. I hand Travis the box for his pantsuit, making sure it’s his and not Tina’s and show him the room beside mine in which he can change. 

“There’s also a shower en-suite, so you can wash up and shave if you need to.” I say lovingly. 

“You and your family are going to have me spoiled at this rate.” He says looking over the room. 

“If I can’t spoil the man I love, then who can I?” I say sweetly. 

“Fair enough.” He smiles. “Wash up and I’ll knock in 30 minutes to see if you girls are ready to help with the rest of the fittings. I’m guessing I’m going to need to help someone in tying the back of their dress…. Leilani told me that much.”

“Definitely. See you soon.” I give Travis a soft loving kiss. 

The girls are getting undressed by the time I make it to my room. “Cassandra, want to join us in the shower?” I ask my girlfriend. Cassandra’s eyes grow wide in surprise, and she shakes her head. “It’s okay my love. When you are comfortable, we can explore that together.” I say pulling her into my arms. 

“Okay. Go, take your shower, I’ll wait till you are done, then we start getting dressed.” She says giving me a squeeze. 

“We’ll try not to take too long.” I say taking Leilani’s and Tina’s hands. 

“We’re showering the 3 of us?” Tina says quirking an eyebrow. 

“You’ve both seen me naked, unless you object at seeing each other naked, I don’t see the problem with it.” I say with a smile. 

“I’m game.” Leilani gives a sultry smile. 

“Okay.” Tina smiles, looking at Leilani. “You’re on girlfriend.” 

We get undressed and pad naked into the shower. Both girls have a hand on an ass cheek. I have a feeling we’ll be more than just washing up with this. I get the water going and turn to my girls, pulling them close to me. Their hands are wandering all over my body as I trade kisses between one and another. Tina reaches for the soap and we lather one another’s bodies. I’m almost not surprised when Tina and Leilani start feeling each other up. 

“You’re body is so much like Rose’s.” Leilani says with a husky tone, playing with Tina’s breasts. 

Tina is leaning into me as I lather the lower half, she’s pushing against my hardening member as I soap and clean her stomach, down to her pubic area. 

“Let’s switch places.” Tina says breathlessly. 

As she moves out of the way Leilani spots my hard-on. “Oh, there’s something I miss.” She says huskily, reaching for it and masturbates me. 

Soon, I have both girls jacking me off and sucking a breast as they work to get me off. With the two of them working together, it doesn’t take long and I lean against the tile wall as I experience the combined orgasm they worked on. As they stand up to kiss each side of my neck, my hand slides between their legs and I work at returning the favour. I have them both grinding against me in pleasure as I work my fingers into them, thumbing their clitoris. I can’t get more than 2 fingers into either of them, they are both so tight. 

“I needed that so bad.” Leilani sighs, leaning against me after her orgasm. 

“I want a repeat of this Saturday.” Tina says in a demanding tone. 

“For you, anything.” I say to her and give Tina a deep passionate kiss as Leilani kisses along my neck. 

The loving I feel with these two is nothing like the times that Travis, Leilani and I have been together. There is so much more sensuality and sexual satisfaction the way we touch and feel each other. 

“Only we add Travis in this next time. We need another cock to play with.” Leilani says hotly. 

“Umm.. That does sound like fun.” Tina says in a seductive tone.

I give them a slap on their butts. “For now, lets dry off so we have time to get dressed and dolled up.” 

“Yes, Rose.” They say together. 

We get out of the bathroom, still naked and toweling our hair. Cassandra turns around to ask something and just sits there and stares at us. She slowly gets up and approaches my naked form, seeing my complete body for the first time. 

“You’re so pink!” She says breathlessly, her eyes riveted on my crotch. “However do you hide this from me?” 

I’m half expecting her to grab my crotch, instead her hand lands on my stomach, slowly sliding up my body. “Tina’s right, your muscles are so hard, but your skin is so soft.” She breathes, her voice distant, her eyes glassy. 

“I still think she should have joined us in the shower.” Tina says seeing just how turned on Cassandra is right now.

“You’re a redheaded amazon.” Cassandra says, still gently caressing my body. “Whatever did I do to deserve you?” Her eyes look from my breast to my eyes, searching an answer. 

“You captured my heart like no other, and I am forever yours.” I say lovingly. 

With those words she puts her arms around me and holds me tight. She takes a deep breath, smelling the fresh strawberry scent covering my body. She relaxes against me, her chin on my shoulder, the only one of my loves tall enough to be nearly eye to eye. Our cheeks touch and her hands continue their roaming, feeling my back. 

“Wow.” She says breathlessly, she pulls back and looks into my eyes. “Your body is even more amazing than I ever imagined.” Her hands come up, and her arms wrap around my neck. I bring my hands up along her hips and slide along her waist, she closes her eyes and relishes in the feeling of my tenderness. “I love you so much!” she says looking into my eyes and gives me a long passionate kiss. 

It takes a lot of effort not to get hard with the intensity of her emotions; I don’t want to scare her when she is obviously so emotionally committed to the moment. Tina clears her throat after a few moments, reminding us we still need to get dressed. 

By the time Cassandra and I break our embrace, Tina and Leilani are in their underwear and looking to get dressed. 

“Right, sorry.” Cassandra says blushing. “This is the first time I’ve seen Rose naked.” 

“I know that feeling.” Leilani says fondly. 

Cassandra finally lets me go, giving me a chance to put on some panties. “You will not tuck tonight?” Leilani says, noticing I’m putting on the larger sized high-cut briefs, that keep my member tighter against my body. 

“The way this night has started, that would make things very uncomfortable.” I say teasingly.

Cassandra is finishing stripping down to her panties, wearing a bra with these dresses will not be comfortable. She has perky breasts with brown nipples, I’m very tempted to taste those, and wonder if I’ll have time to later. I get the dresses out of their boxes, and then hand Tina her suit. She gets dressed as we’re pulling on the dresses. Leilani’s is the simplest in some ways. She pulls the red velvet and lace dress over her head and then arranges the under-bust corset around her body. Her lace sleeves match the two other dresses.

Tina puts on the black silk pants and red silk shirt. “Hmm… silk and velvet, you might have me loving girly clothing again my dear.” She smiles. 

She comes up to me and helps me fit my breasts into the cups. Playing with them a little as she does. I give her a look and she gives me a cheeky grin. She’s enjoying having boobs to play with. The dress resembles a red over-bust corset, with a large black ribbon at the cleavage. Black lace highlights the edges of the dress. The skirt is what you would expect with a southern bell ensemble: black layered underskirt with a red velvet gathered over-skirt. The black lace full sleeve shrug makes the outfit appear to be almost a wedding dress. 

Cassandra is arranging her own, and I feel like I’ve been cheated from a quick feel of my girl’s charms. Her dress is simpler: Her bodice doesn’t look like a corset, but has the same skirt look, only with the red ribbons on her lower back does one realize it cinches at the waist. The straps over her shoulders are thin and still work with the black lace shrug to match mine.   
Each dress has the same black & red rose cameo at the neck, making them match as an ensemble.   
There is a knock on the door as Cass and I form a chain, with Tina behind to tie our corsets. 

Leilani lets Travis in and has him do up hers. She could have easily had Cass do it, but lets our boyfriend do up her back instead. She instructs him as he tightens the ribbon, tight enough to show her beautiful curves, but not too tight that she can’t breathe or dance in her outfit. Travis looks over from time to time as Tina works on my dress. I glance over my shoulder. He’s just as handsome in the black pants with a red silk shirt as I imagined it would be. His blond hair a contrast to this outfit. Meanwhile, Tina’s hair matches her outfit beautifully, and - to say that my red hair makes my dress outstanding - is an understatement. 

“You are so beautiful.” Travis says, approaching me. “I am the happiest man in Willow Creek escorting such gorgeous women to the dance.” 

“Why thank you Travis.” Cassandra blushes. 

Tina is finally done doing up my ribbons and I turn to put my arms around Travis. “Think anyone will be jealous of you holding me tonight?” 

“Everyone.” He says as he leans up for a loving kiss. 

“Let’s get our hair and makeup done.” Tina says, putting on her cravat and suit jacket. 

“Wow Tina.” Travis says surprised. “I thought I looked good in this, but you take wearing a pantsuit to a new level.” 

“Thank you Travis.” Tina says bashfully. “You look absolutely handsome, I want one dance with you tonight.” 

“You do?” Travis says surprised. Tina had never shown a romantic interest in him before, it catches him off-guard. 

“I can just imagine what the two of us would look like on the dance floor.” She smiles and gives him a suggestive hug. “We need to fix your hair though.” She says combing her fingers through his uncombed mop. 

“Hey!” He says, causing us to giggle. 

We go into the bathroom, and start sorting out our makeup and hair. We, again form a chain, doing each other’s hair first. Leilani insists on my artistic touch on her makeup, as I apply this cream and rouge to her skin, to make it look brighter. I brighten her eyes and deepen her lashes. Tina sits there in fascination, watching me doll up our girlfriend. 

“Me next.” Cassandra says excitedly. 

I change the palate to suit her olive skin, and you would swear she looks like a younger dolled up Bella Goth by the time I’m done. 

“You’ve been observing the makeup my mother wears.” Cassandra says, observing she looks a younger version of her mother.

“I figured, if it works for her, you two look so much alike, it should work for you.” I smile lovingly. 

“Come here, Travis.” Leilani says and plants a firm kiss on our boyfriend. She leans back. “Perfect.” She says as she blends her lipstick into Travis’ lips. 

“What are you doing?” He says glancing at the mirror. 

“Making your lips darker, and more gothic looking.” She says with a playful smile. 

“Hey, that’s a great idea.” Tina says, picking up the dark red lipstick and dabbing it to her pale lips. She then darkens her eyes with a smoky effect, making the Gothic look of her attire perfect, specially with the red & black cameo at her neck.   
By the time we are done, we are dressed as much for a Hollowe’s Eve event as we are for this dance. I fix Travis’s tie and, doing the oxford knot I saw his mother do, and fold his pocket square to pop. 

“Following my mother’s tips are we?” He teases me. 

“Of course my dear.” I smile lovingly. “I have to take care of my man, so he looks the best he can be.” 

We head downstairs and find Mom & Dad in the living room. 

“Oh, by the stars! You all look so amazing!” Mom exclaims. “We’ll take pictures in the ballroom, by the piano.” 

We head back into the ballroom and stand around for almost half and hour as mom and Beth take various pictures. First with me alone, then me and Travis, and then with each girlfriend, finishing up with a group picture with the 5 of us. She has Tina and Travis stand in the middle, Cassandra and I on each side, with Leilani kneeling in front, followed by a picture of her in the middle. Tina doesn’t hesitate to put her arm around our girlfriend, and Travis gives her an odd glance. She follows by pictures of me in the middle. She then takes a picture of Travis, Leilani and I together, Beth noted we were a love triangle. She even has a few pictures of me sitting at the piano and posed to play as my loves surround the piano and look at me play. 

“Perfect.” Mom says with a smile, giving me a kiss on the cheek. “I’m going to save these and leave them on your desk for you to get out to the rest of your friends and family.” She smiles. “I hope you don’t mind that I send this to some of our family as well. I want to showcase our new daughter to everyone.” 

I blush. “Sure Mom, thanks.” 

As we leave the ballroom to head to the van, Beth catches up with us. “You just made Mom’s year.” She grins. “She was a little hesitant at your purchase, but seeing the 5 of you dolled up like this, totally worth it.” 

“Thanks” I smile. “Let’s see how much of an impression it makes at school.” 

“Rose, you will be the most beautiful group at the dance, the trouble the judges will have is to which two of you will get the crowns.” She winks. I blush. “You wanted to make an entrance, this is definitely it.” She says looking us up and down. “Have fun tonight, see you for supper tomorrow?” 

“I should be home for supper tomorrow. I’ll let you know if these loves have other plans.” I smile and Travis slides his hands around my waist. 

Beth notices I’m carrying my backpack behind me. “You ever go anywhere without that?” 

“Not if I can avoid it.” I say. “Besides, it has my nightclothes, my cycling outfit, and a change of clothes for tomorrow. My clutch is just for my cell phone and a bit of makeup for touch-ups.” 

“Cycling outfit? You didn’t ask to put your bike on Travis’ van…” Beth says confused.

“I have tomorrow’s bike taken care of.” Tina says with a smile. “Rose will enjoy it.”

We all head into the van with our usual seating arrangement, with the time it took for the pictures, we’ll be arriving at the school a little past 7. 

“Cassandra, do you mind if I walk between you and Rose as we enter the gym? The look of your dresses with me in the middle will make the biggest impact.” Tina smiles. 

“I thought my girlfriend was the artist between the 5 of us, but that’s twice tonight that you’ve shown you have a flair for fashion and style.” Cassandra says looking over her shoulder and smiles. 


	64. Harvest Dance

I wasn’t expecting photographers. Just individual people with their cell phones. I recognize the guy with the camera from the local paper. He is taking photos as the couples are assembling by the door.

As we approach the doors, we’re definitely gathering attention, and we’re not even in the school yet. He suddenly stops in front of us. 

“Wow!” He exclaims. 

“Steven Lancôme of the Tribune, we meet again.” I smile. 

“You’re those kids from the beach, the ones that made the huge sandcastle!” he says, recognizing my voice.

“Can’t be that many redheads in Willow Creek, it took you that long to place us?” Tina says teasingly. 

“Sorry.” He scratches his head. “That dress hides all of her muscles.” His face turns to a smile. “I definitely need a picture of you all together, but against something brighter.” 

He guides us to stand under one of the light posts, so that all of our features are lit up. He takes several pictures from different angles, drawing students to follow. I spot Susan, Libby and Sandra in among the group. 

“This is definitely going into the school paper.” Says Sandra. 

“And the school yearbook!” Says Mitchel as he takes a few shots as well. 

We get away from all the picture-taking and greet Trent and Zoe by the door. 

“Oh, wow!” Trent says, jaw dropping. 

“Okay, I’m jealous. Why didn’t we plan outfits together?” Zoe says looking us over. 

“You two still look like a lovely couple.” I say, trying to make them feel better. “Shall we?” I say, motioning for us to head to the gym.

My two puppies lead the way, I have a feeling one or both are going to be asking for a dance tonight. We gather looks and comments. Even Susan, who’s dressed in a classic yellow southern bell dress, with Paul wearing a white suit, thinks that we’re far outclassing everyone. Tina is proudly strutting, showing off the two lovely girls in her arms, while Travis & Leilani walk behind us. I don’t know who’s more proud of her entourage, me or her. She’s so cute. 

“You look so amazingly gorgeous tonight. I wish I could have been your date.” I hear to my right. 

I turn and smile. “Monique. You look ravishing.” I say and lean down, giving her a kiss. And she does, she’s done up her makeup more than what we had on our date, and is wearing blue silk gloves to go with her dress. 

Monique blushes. “You always know how to charm a girl.” She says caressing my cheek. “Hard to believe how shy you were when we first met.” She looks at me lovingly. 

“Come.” I say. I hook her arm and join rejoin Tina & Cassandra, holding on to Tina’s arm.   
Now we’re really making an entrance. To everyone who thought that Monique and I were done, her walking arm in arm with my loves into the gymnasium is definitely a shock. 

“I knew you two couldn’t stay apart for long.” Marsha smiles as she catches up to Monique and walks alongside us. 

“We need to find a cluster of tables that will sit all of us.” I say looking around. 

There is a whistle to our left, and we see Penny. She’s taken up a space that could easily be one quarter of the tables by the punch bowl. I smile and we make our way to join her. We join them, making 9 with Monique and Marsha. Soon we’re growing in size as Amber and Brent join us, followed by Mia & Pam who were at the punch bowl. Soon Claudia is dragging a very bashful Tim to join our group. Trent and Zoe finally catch up to us after bringing Yasmin, Brad, Chuck and Chloe with them. 

Monique looks around. “You really gather a crowd honey.” She says surprised. “And some of these are even my friends!” We all laugh.

“Everyone loves Rose.” Leilani says affectionately. 

“Yes, we do.” Zoe says giving me a loving look. 

“Glad you could make it Tim, you look rather handsome.” I smile. 

“Rose, you look amazing, that dress with your hair is incredible!” Tim says finally. Claudia nudges him and gives him a frown. “I’m sorry, Rose looks beautiful tonight, I can’t help but tell her.” 

“Of course she’s beautiful, silly, she’s an artist. I can see that she’s done everyone’s make up here as well.” Claudia says matter of fact. “Which is quite the challenge considering Leilani’s skin colour...” She looks us over. “Okay, so I may be a touch jealous of how wonderful everyone looks.” 

We all chuckle. “Claudia, that green gown is absolutely stunning with your figure, I’m glad that Tim went with a grey suit, it makes the two of you match so much better than if he wore black.” 

“You think so too, eh?” Claudia smiles. “He’s so adorable.” She says hugging Tim close, taking the boy by surprise. I take his arm and put it around her waist. It gives him the prompt he needs, and the two of them snuggle into each other. 

“Thank you” he mouths as she holds Tim. 

“I’m thirsty.” She says, and he offers his arm and they go to the punch bowl.

“See, I knew he’d be thanking you later.” Amber smiles as she puts her arms around Brent. 

“ **Okay everyone!** ” The sound system kicks in. “Time to kick this dance in motion!” The DJ says on the mic and he starts up with some house music to get people to dance on the floor. 

“I’m glad I didn’t wear heels today.” Tina says with a smile, she takes my hand and tugs me on to the dance floor with her. 

We’re soon joined by our friends. Travis, being the cheeky boy that he is, comes up from behind me, taking my hips in his hands. I wait for him to draw himself closer into my skirt, and we dance a little more seductively together, matching our hip motions as I grind seductively against him. For a moment there is just the two of us as we dance against each other. He finally lets go and stands beside me to dance with the group. 

“Wow. That was so hot.” Tina says between songs. 

“When you know the body of your lover, it’s easy to work together.” Travis says with a husky tone. That dance clearly turned him on. 

“Really?” Tina says curiously. “Let me try.” She says, and she dances towards me. We lock eyes and start dancing in synch. Her eyes never leave mine, as we get into the groove where the two of us are just reading off each other, and she gets closer and closer to me. Soon, we’re dancing face to face, breasts nearly touching, I feel her hands on my waist and I put my hands on her shoulders and we seductively dance against each other. 

“That’s so amazing.” Leilani says with a sultry tone. “You two are just amazing.” 

“Like with soccer.” Amber says beside us as I give my girlfriend a kiss before breaking away. “They just move in synch.” 

“Can we try?” Cassandra says timidly. “I’ve never really danced before though.” 

I move behind my girlfriend, taking hold of her waist. “Follow my hand prompts, and feel yourself fall into me, move along with my motions.” I whisper into her ear. She moans. 

The next song starts, it’s more of a dance song… perfect. As the music starts, I guide Cassandra’s hips with my hands. Soon she’s melded into me as we move as one. I move my right hand up along her body, and her arm stretches out as I take her hand. Tina senses what I’m about to do and gives me room as she motions to the others. I suddenly twirl Cassandra around to face me. She gasps, her eyes lock on mine as she mirrors my motions. As the song picks up, we dance along the floor, with my twirling and dipping her, only to toss her into the air. She’s so light, I can do all those fancy swing motions with her as we really start taking over the floor. I can hear the clapping in rhythm the music, as I dip my girlfriend between my legs, step over her, and pull her back up so that we can dance again. There was no thought or plan to our moves, it was just the two of us and the music, and her total trust in that I know what I’m doing.

When the song is finally over, everyone is clapping and cheering, and Cassandra, breathless, leans against me and blushes. “That was incredible.” She says. “Next time warn me you’re going to do that.” We drift to the side to allow people to resume dancing. 

Mama comes up alongside us. “For a moment I saw an image of your father and I taking over the floor. Wherever did my daughter learn to dance like that?” 

“Mama!” Cassandra exclaims happily, turning and giving her mother a hug. “I don’t know how I did it. I just kept my eyes on Rose and followed her motions. She did most of the dancing.” I face still flushed from the dance. 

“She’s a natural, must take after you.” I smile at her mother. 

“Obviously.” Bella smiles. “You two have fun and go rejoin your friends. We’ll talk later.”

“Okay, Mama.” We say together, and I noticed that I’ve now started doing with her mother what I’m doing with Leilani’s. 

Cassandra teases me about it as we make way to my friends. “You two were amazing on the floor, I thought you didn’t know how to dance?!” Leilani says excitedly. 

“Like Tina, Cassandra and Rose have this unspoken connection.” Amber says as we get closer. “I’ve seen it develop since we starting hanging out with you all at lunch.” 

They typically do the next song as a line dance, and I look at my friends. We all smile and nod to each other. First Tina, Cassandra and I start. Followed by Travis, Leilani, then Trent and Zoe. Soon we’re about 30 on the floor, and not just my friends, as the cheerleaders join in, all doing the moves together. We all know the dance and we all had fun. 

A country song starts up next, and I report I need some punch. I’m not so good at country music, unless it’s the few that have line dances attached to them. We’re 6 going to the punch bowl as Monique joins my loves and I to get a drink. 

“I thought you didn’t go to school dances, how did you learn to dance like that?” Monique asks. 

“Well, my Tai Chi group would get together on weekends and we would join in with the jazz dance groups to work on different moves to increase flexibility.” I smile, taking a long swig of punch. 

“Tai Chi… That’s those moves you showed us at the Gym on Monday.” Tina says smiling. “The fluidity of your moves never ceases to amaze me.”

“I could do better, but the skirt of this dress is restricting some of my movements.” I smile, causing Tina to simply shake her head in amazement. 

“You are such an amazing dancer.” Trent says in adoration. “Do you think you can teach us to dance like that?” 

“Well, the jazz dance groups are like aerobics, but dancing…” I start. “I’m not sure I could lead a group without instructions…” I say hesitantly. “Let me see what I can find online.” 

“Okay.” Zoe says with a grin, reaches up and gives me a quick kiss before the two of them head back off on the dance floor. 

“Wow, those two have it bad.” Monique says.

“Yep. For Zoe, it all started the night of the slumber party and Rose giving Leilani a kiss.” Cassandra says.   
“The slumber party?” Monique says thoughtfully. “You kissed Leilani the day after you asked me to be your girlfriend!?” She says, clearly annoyed. 

“Honey, I’m sorry, it’s just… Zoe wanted to know if kissing a girl differed from kissing a boy, but didn’t want to volunteer herself. Leilani has had a crush on me since the day I moved here…” I apologize. 

Monique sighs, shakes her head and smiles. “You do that to everyone, don’t you?” 

“I felt myself drawn to her the moment we met.” Travis says putting his arm around my waist.

Monique looks at Zoe for a moment. “Wait, how long did that kiss last?” 

“Almost 5 minutes.” Cassandra says. 

“Most amazing kiss I’ve ever experienced.” Leilani says leaning against me affectionately. “When she stuck her tongue into my mouth, I got so turned on!” she says fondly, remember the event.” 

“You’d never French kissed someone before that?” Monique looks at Leilani, confused. 

“A couple of us had, before Rose, but nothing like the kiss that they shared.” Cassandra looks at me lovingly. “That moment, something changed in how Zoe and I felt for Rose. Neither of us could explain it. We've never been attracted to girls before, but in that moment, Rose was just so…. Hot.” 

“Okay, I can definitely agree with that.” Monique says looking at me lovingly. 

“Worth the wait?” I say teasingly. 

“Every moment.” Cassandra says. Pulling my front ribbon to get me closer for a kiss. 

“Wow. She gets bold when she’s turned on.” Tina says teasingly. 

“Wait, how did it start with you two?” Tina suddenly gets curious. 

“Well, Rose started off at the café soon after she moved here, the week before school.” Monique says, my friends nod. “There was just something about Rose that was so… attractive. She is so tall, so strong, she can pick up nearly anything in the café single handed, but her motions are also so graceful and feminine.” Monique says coming to me and putting her arms around my shoulders. 

“I’ve built a reputation as the café flirt, it’s a game I play to get past my shyness. But Rose was just so damn sexy, I couldn’t keep my hands off her. I may have been a touch aggressive…” she blushes. “Then Beth sent us on a date, to deal with the growing affection. It was to either set us straight or have us hate each other - I guess Beth figured that, Rose, being pretty much new at everything, could actually have bungled the date.” 

“But that’s not what happened?” Tina probes. 

“I admitted to Rose that I found her attractive, and the poor redhead didn’t know what to make of it.” Monique says affectionately. 

“It was my first date with anyone, how else was I supposed to take it.” I chuckle. 

“So what changed?” Amber says, having come into the conversation. 

“I kissed Rose.” Monique says. She looks at Travis. “Mainly because Rose had admitted that you had flirted with her.” 

“You told Monique that I had flirted with you at the mall and on the way home?” Travis looks at me, surprised. 

“Well, you did.” I say in my defence, causing my boyfriend to blush. 

“So, rather than possibly loosing Rose to some boy, you kissed her.” Cassandra says. 

“Exactly.” Monique says. “And wow. Can she kiss!” Monique leans against my chest. “I’ve never had a toe-curling kiss on a first date, and she said that she’d kissed no one before!” she says backing up again and looking at me. 

“That was before the slumber party, Summer had said she saw Rose with you.” Cassandra comments.

Monique nods. “I figured that, if Rose was that good of a kisser on the first shot, what other talents was she hiding?… So I planned on a home date Friday night.” 

“To seduce her.” Leilani says, looking mildly annoyed. 

Monique shrugs “It worked” She looks at Leilani. “Even when she surprised me with what she has between her legs. Instead of finding it offending, it just turned me on more!” Monique says. 

“I can definitely agree with that statement.” Leilani purrs. When she warned me she was not like other girls, it just turned me on more, specially when I saw the size of it!”

Monique looks at Leilani. “We’ve been competing for her affections since she moved here and yet, she's kept our relationships separate.” 

Leilani nods. “Rose is good at that.” She says affectionately. “What she feels for me isn’t what she feels for you. In fact, I had to insist that she take my cherry, she didn’t want to.” 

Monique looks at Leilani curiously. “Why would you want to do that?” 

“To cement their relationship before Rose went further with Travis.” Cassandra says. 

Monique looks between us, and Travis shrugs. “So, you and I have been competing for Rose’s affection because of Travis?” She says amazed. 

“I still got Rose in the end despite what you two were doing.” Travis grins. 

“He’s just so adorable, I couldn’t keep away from him.” I say leaning into my boyfriend. 

“And you’re still not interested in what Leilani and I so love?” Monique says surprised. 

“Rose and I were already getting sexually involved before she came out to me.” Travis says, kissing my shoulder. “What Rose does for me, I don’t need that part of her. I fell in love with the girl of my dreams. Why would I want anything else?” 

“Now that I can definitely agree with.” Trent says coming up alongside us. Everyone but me looks at Trent, surprised. “What?” he says, grabbing a snack beside the punch bowl. “I got to know Rose at school. She’s smart, she’s talented, she’s so caring and affectionate. I fell in love with her, what she has down there Zoe can have, I want a girlfriend.” 

“You have a girlfriend, silly.” Zoe says coming up behind him and smacking his bottom. 

“What, I can only have one girlfriend?” Trent replies. 

“I’m not jealous cause it’s Rose, I understand your feelings for her.” Zoe says giving him a kiss and taking a snack for herself. 

“We should sit down before some ears that shouldn’t be hearing about our relationship catch on to something they shouldn’t” I say looking around nervously. 

They all nod and we move back to the table where Penny and Chris are busy making out. 

“Starting early, are we?” Amber teases the couple, and the two of them break their heated embrace. Both their faces are flushed, clearly turned on. 

“We haven’t even started slow dancing. Are you two going to make it to midnight with your clothing on?” Amber teases them. 

“The thought had crossed my mind.” Penny says seductively, causing Chris to blush. 

We all settle into together at the tables and talk about how good the DJ is. So far, his music choice has been spot on to keep us all engaged. 


	65. The Dance Continued

We don’t stay at the table for long. Like me, Tina and Amber are high energy individuals, and are pulling me back onto the dance floor. Despite having been up since 3am, my adrenaline kicks in. The more I dance, the more I can dance, and I see Tina having trouble keeping up with my dance moves to the house music the DJ is spinning. They have given the two of us space as we spin and move and weave to the music. Penny and Pam join us after a while and we are 5 high-energy girls ripping up the dance floor. 

‘Love Me Like You Mean It’ starts and Travis pulls Trent and Zoe on the floor with him. The boys start a dirty dancing routine with us girls. I think they’ve been planning this, cause they're right in synch with one another. I follow my boyfriend’s lead as he bumps grinds and suggestively dances to the upbeat country music. By the end of the dance, we’re all sweating because of the intensity of the motions and everyone claps as we head off the dance floor. 

“That was fun!” Zoe says taking a deep breath and leaning against Trent. “I’ve never had this much fun at a dance before!” She turns her face up to his. “Thank you for this.” She says lovingly and gives him a deep kiss. We clap and cheer. 

“Where’s mine?” Travis says cheekily. 

“You want a deep loving kiss?” I turn in his arms. I get this mischievous smile on my face. I turn, straddle his lap in the chair. “Then you’ll get it.” I say in a seductive tone, I sensually put my arms around his shoulders and lean in, giving him a deep sensual kiss. I hear him moan in my mouth as we start to hotly French Kiss, I can feel him get hard, which pushes me to make this even more passionate. 

When we finally break our kiss, everyone is looking at us. “Wow!” Tim is the first to break the silence. “That was the most amazing kiss I’ve ever seen.” 

“That rivals the kiss she gave Leilani during the slumber party.” Zoe says fondly. 

Travis gives me this look between love and lust. “Just when I think loving you can’t get any better.” He says with a dreamy smile. 

The first slow songs start, and Cassandra pulls me off my boyfriend. “My turn.” She says we head on to the middle of the floor. I start off, taking her hand as if to dance a waltz. “No, she says, I want a nice slow song with my love.” She says, putting my hand on her shoulder. 

She wraps her arms around my waist, as I put my other hand on her shoulder and she pulls me in close. With my flats and her heels, we are nose to nose as we dance, looking into each other’s eyes. I close my eyes to catch the beat of the music and then move us to the rhythm. I look into her deep brown eyes and see nothing but love and affection. We play our noses together as I sing ‘A Thousand Years to her’. She melts in my arms, her grip around my waist tightens. I don’t get halfway through the song before she pulls me into a long, loving kiss. We just float there, in each other's arms, and kiss. 

The song ends and Travis taps us on the shoulder. Cassandra hesitantly lets me go, giving me one last kiss. Tina surprises her as she pulls her into a dance, as Travis and I dance to ‘At Last’. He holds me close as the music is even softer than the previous. We look into each other’s eyes. I caress his cheek with one hand, while the other plays with his hair. We dance for over a minute, just looking lovingly into each other’s eyes before kissing deeply. This kiss doesn't have the deep wanting than when I was in his lap, just a long loving kiss to share this tender moment together. 

At the end of the song, Tina cuts in, allowing Leilani to dance with our boyfriend. I look at Susan at the corner of my eye. She’s watching how my loves and I keep trading partners. Tina puts her arms around my waist, hinting I’m the girl for this dance, and I put my arms around her shoulders as we dance to ‘I try’. 

“This is song is fitting for us.” She smiles as her hazel eyes look into mine. 

“It is.” I say, looking into her eyes lovingly. 

“You are enjoying these songs.” She says playing with my lower back. Your eyes are near emerald in colour. Almost as bright as they were after that kiss with Travis back at the table. 

I give her nose a kiss and she smiles, leaning her head against my shoulder. We hold each other close, weaving to the music. 

At the end of the song, Leilani pulls Tina off of me, almost literally. And happily puts her arms around my shoulders. We dance to ‘How Long Will I Love You?’ And spend most of the song kissing deeply, I’m glad I didn’t tuck, the passion of her kiss is making me hard as she pushes up against me. 

At the end of the song, I feel Travis’ hand caress my bottom, I’m sure his other hand is on Leilani’s. I break away from Leilani enough to pull him into our embrace. I put my arm around him, and the three of us dance to ‘Kiss from a Rose’ together. I can see flashes of light, showing people are taking pictures of our tender threesome dance. We trade off kisses with one another as Travis’ hand remains on each of our butts. 

As the music picks up, I have the two of them hold me as we walk off the dance floor arm-in-am. Monique is looking at me longingly. “There was a 5th song. Why did the three of you dance together instead of us?” She is more sad than jealous or angry. 

I let go for my lovers and sit down beside Monique. “I’m sorry, I just got taken in by the moment.” 

“We are dating again, right?” Monique asks me, worried. 

“We are.” I say, putting my hand on hers. 

“Kiss me?” she gives me those wanting puppy dog brown eyes. 

I smile and nod and Monique does what I did to Travis. She gets up from her chair and straddles my lap. She kisses me wantonly, there’s that’s forceful need for love and affection from when we were first dating coming back. I’m still hard from my dance with Leilani. Monique feels it and grinds against my crotch as her legs wrap around the back of the chair. I don’t know how long the kiss lasts, but there was a different song playing by the time she breaks our embrace and I realize the rest of the room. 

“Wow. I thought Rose’s kiss with Travis was hot.” Amber says beside us, as she cuddles Brent. 

“I just wanted to know that Rose and I still had a thing.” Monique says, relaxing into my arms and leaning her head against my shoulder. 

“You definitely have a thing.” Tina says, “I am almost jealous with the passion of that kiss.” She leans in. “It’s cause Rose is hard, isn’t it?” 

“Like a rod.” Monique sighs and snuggles in more. “I’ve not felt her this hard in a while.” 

“Between Leilani and your kiss, how can I not be this aroused right now?” I say, trying to contain my emotions. 

"And this is why she wears dresses and skirts." Leilani teases me, leaning over my shoulder and kissing my cheek. 

“You girls keep this up, and I’ll stay hard till the next slow songs.” I say with a slight frown, it’s actually getting painful I’m so turned on right now. 

“I need to go pee.” Tina announces. Rose, "Monique, care to join me?” 

Monique smiles. “Sure..” And gets off of me. She leads me out of the gym, with Tina holding my other hand. Leilani is figuring out what they are up to and isn’t far behind. 

I catch on to what they are doing.” We’re going to do that, right here in the school?” I say in a soft voice. 

“I’m so horny right now, I’m ready to pull you into a bush.” Monique says. 

Fortunately, the bathroom is empty; we go into the handicap stall, and Monique pushes me against the stall door as she lifts my skirts, going for her prize. Leilani is holding the front up as she kisses me hotly. I break my kiss to look down as I feel my panties being removed, and I can’t believe the sight. Monique and Tina are taking turns sucking my hard-on. Leilani and Monique trade places, so that I can finger her. She kisses my neck as she guides my hand under her skirt and into her damp underwear. I look down at Tina and Leilani as they trade tongues along my member. I almost lose my nut right there and then at the erotic display of my lovers sharing me as much as they are French kissing. I focus on Monique so I can enjoy the sensation longer, and she’s really close to orgasm. I work my fingers into her harder, as we kiss hotly, we moan into each other’s mouths as we both get off. I can feel Tina’s mouth on my tip as she swallows it all down. 

Leilani is still stroking my member, keeping it hard. “What are you doing?” Tina whispers. 

“I want more than a blowjob.” She announces, standing up, pulling the skirt of her dress up over her bottom. She’s lost her panties and is holding on to the other wall as she sinks her hot sex onto my still rock hard member.

Monique looks down at her motions. “Wow, that looks so hot.” She says mesmerized at watching my pink tool sink into her chocolate hole. 

She’s so horny and worked up, I’ve already had an orgasm, I’m not getting off soon, so it doesn’t take long till I feel her vagina clamp on my hard-on and Tina kisses her deeply to suppress the moan of her orgasm. 

“My turn.” Tina says huskily, pulling down her pants and trading places with Leilani. Monique reaches into the bust of my dress and plays with my breast as I watch Tina’s very hot sex absorb my still rock hard member.

Leilani kisses her passionately as she quickly gets herself off on my tool Tina leans against our girlfriend and sighs. “I needed that.” 

I’m still hard, so Monique moves me away from the girls crumpled on the floor and climbs on top of me. She’s still hot and dripping and we make passionate love. After all that sex, I’m ready for my second orgasm, so when Monique moans into my mouth, and I feel her vagina clamp down on my hard-on, I get off with her, intensifying her orgasm, as she gasps and lets out a cry of joy feeling my very large load empty deep inside of her. 

“No fair, you got her second load.” Leilani pouts as she struggles to get up. 

Monique still has her legs around me and leans against me. The only thing keeping me up is the stall’s wall.

“Wow, that felt so good.” She sighs. She looks at me lovingly. “Okay, now I understand how having over one girlfriend can be fun. As much as I find it hard to see you kissing and holding the others, we need to try this again sometime.” 

“Only not in a school bathroom.” Tina says, pulling her pants back on.

“Let’s get out of here before someone catches on that we’re doing more than going pee.” I say. Monique nods and lets go of me. My now soft member slides out of her, and she bites her lip. 

“I don’t like the feeling when she pulls out either.” Leilani says, watching Monique’s expression. 

We’ve cleaned ourselves up and touching up our makeup when Susan and Brittany come in. “Oh, so there you are.” 

“We needed to go pee.” Tina says with a smile. “You can only hold so much punch.” 

“Right.” Susan says as Brittany dashes into one of the smaller stalls. She’s touching up her makeup. “So why does this bathroom smell like more than that, I’m supposed to believe you?” 

“I smell our combined perfumes.” Monique says with a coy smile. “Rose’s strawberry, my Lilac…” then she looks pensive. “The other two smell like strawberry as well.” She looks between us. “Rose?” 

“We had a shower before we got dressed.” I shrug. 

Monique smiles. “I’m sure you did.” She leans towards the mirror while touching up her lipstick. 

Susan watches the interaction. “I think I’m jealous that the four of you managed a romp in the bathroom.” 

Brittany comes out of the stall, looking confused. “They had a what?” 

“Tina’s actually kind of fun to have in the relationship.” Leilani says in a seductive tone, caressing Tina’s backside. 

“You bet I am, girl.” She says giving Leilani a kiss.” 

“Wow. You and your girls are just way too kinky for me.” Susan says, causing Monique to giggle. 

“See you later.” I say. Leilani and Monique put their arms around me, and I hold Tina’s hand as we wander out of the bathroom. 

“How does she do that?!” I can hear Susan query Brittany as we head out of the bathroom. 

We walk back to the gym. “Wow, that was incredibly kinky.” Monique says surprised that we still did what we did. She looks over at Leilani. “You will bed anyone, won’t you?” 

“Well, Tina and I have sort of had this building up over the past week.” Leilani says in her defence. “No offense Mo, but I don’t think I could kiss you the way I just kissed her.” 

“I never imagined group sex till I met this hot little nymph.” Tina smiles. She lets go of my hand and Leilani suddenly does a skip, I can tell Tina just groped her bottom. 

“I think Travis would agree on that.” I say with a smile. 

Monique looks at us. “Wait… you Travis and Leilani, you’ve all had sex together?” 

“Threesomes with two cocks are amazing.” Leilani says in a sultry tone. 

Monique shakes her head. “Now I can see what Rose sees in you, that playful, anything goes attitude must be hard to resist.” 

“It sure is.” I grin. Leilani and I squeeze each other tighter. I leave out the fact that she has the tightest vagina, making her the hottest sex I’ve ever had. I don’t want to make any of my girls jealous. 

We get back into the gym and join the others on the dance floor. Cassandra puts her arms around me and dances with me for a bit. “By the colour of your eyes, what were you girls doing in the bathroom?” she says leaning in to talk to me over the music. 

“Well, it was Tina’s idea..” I start, and she just shakes her head. “You have me for the rest of the night, just the two of us.” I remind her we’ll be sharing a bed tonight. 

Cassandra gives me a deep kiss and then lets go of me as the music picks up. 

We continue to dance together, enjoying the flow of the music and the atmosphere of touching and enjoying each other. I catch Mia and Pam who are intimately dancing together, I never realized they would become such a set couple. 

“Like watching you and Tina.” Penny says as she and Chris drift close to us. 

“Are we that bad?” Tina muses. 

“What were you girls doing in the bathroom and don’t tell me it takes 20 minutes to go pee.” Penny teases. 

“Were we gone that long?!” Tina says. “I didn’t think we took that long…” 

“Is that why it felt so good?” Leilani coos. As she rubs up alongside me. 

Penny ‘ohs’ at that comment. “So what really happened?” she leans into me, looking for juicy details. 

“Leilani and Monique got Rose painfully hard and needed some relief.” Tina says with a cheeky grin. “It was just supposed to be a blowjob, but some little minx decided she wanted more.” 

Leilani giggles and slides her hand along my backside as part of her dance move. 

“So once she started, you girls decided you each wanted a turn?” Penny says in disbelief.

“Rose has amazing stamina.” Tina says dreamily. 

“Makes group sex that much more fun!” Leilani grins mischievously. 

Penny looks at us in surprise. “So Rose…?” she says, trying to piece it all together. 

“Yes, Penny?” I say playfully. 

“So, not only do you have multiple partners, but you bed more than one of them at the time?” Penny says almost in shock. 

“It started off as a love triangle with my little hot nymph here and Travis.” I say booping Leilani on the nose, causing her to giggle. “Now Tina’s joined us for more fun.” I say with a coy smile. Tina leans forward and kisses me lovingly before continuing to dance. 

Penny looks at the three of us, amazed. “I never thought…” 

“It’s okay, Penny, it doesn’t happen often, and it’s always special when it happens.” I say comforting my friend’s blown mind.

“It’s taken me this long to get used to the idea of us having sex, please don’t ask me to do more.” Chris says pleadingly. 

The comment seems to have broken her train of thought and she laughs. Being the stronger of the two, she pulls him close and gives him a loving kiss. “You are so cute!”

They hug and kiss each other, ignoring the music and dancers around them. 


	66. A Night of Love & Passion

The next batch of love songs starts up at 10, and Monique will not miss her chance to dance with me, and grabs my hand, pulling me onto the dance floor. We oddly enough dance to ‘I stand by You.’ 

“I thought you weren’t dating Rose anymore, Monique.” Susan says as she and Paul come up to dance beside us. “If I’m not mistaken, the two of you have been lovingly affectionate as if last week didn’t happen.” 

“Last week didn’t happen, did it Rose?” Monique says, looking up at me playfully. 

“We had a misunderstanding that we’re working through.” I say to Susan with a smile. 

“So, Rose with all those other lovers isn’t bothering you?” Susan prods, pulling at my girlfriend’s monogamous string. 

“After what you think we did in the bathroom, what do you think?” Monique turns the comment around on her. With that, she twirls us and moves us away from her. 

“Have I ever told you enough how amazing you are?” I say lovingly. 

“I still like to hear it.” She purrs and leans against my chest. 

The next song comes along and, sure enough, Trent cuts in to dance with me. Monique is caught off guard, and he holds me close, arms around my waist as we dance to ‘Wonderful Tonight,’ 

“Such a fitting song with how beautiful you look tonight.” He whispers. 

“Where’s our girlfriend?” I say teasingly. 

He nudges to his left. I see Travis and Zoe dancing, Leilani and Tina are dancing closely together. Cassandra is sitting down, talking to Monique and Marsha. I tense up. 

“Relax, the girls are actually getting along.” He says calmly and I relax into him. 

“I never realized how amazing you smell.” I whisper, as we dance close, with him nuzzling neck. 

“Travis said I should wear this, something about how it drives you wild.” Trent smiles. 

“Oh, he did, did he?” I say with a playful smile. “And here I thought he didn’t approve of our relationship.” 

“It will not stop me from doing this.” He says and his hand slides up my back to pull me forward for a deep loving kiss. 

I’ve never kissed Trent so passionately before, but we just are consumed by tonight’s atmosphere. I don’t realize that the next song has started till Zoe is cutting in. Instead of taking her boyfriend away, she puts her arms around my shoulders. 

“My turn.” She says. 

Trent is about to object when ‘Unchained Melody’ starts and Tina tugs him off to dance, as Travis and Leilani grind against each other in this song. 

Zoe sighs and leans into me as we linger on the floor. She looks up at me. “Can I have a kiss like that?” 

“You ready for that that?” I say teasingly. 

She bites her lip and nods, so I lean forward and she whimpers as I hold her close and passionately kiss her. I can feel her push herself on her toes, and I slide a hand down to pull her up by her rump. She moans into my mouth and her kiss intensifies. I find I’m getting hard again. I was right, she’s just as hot at Leilani, and it’s going to be so fun loving her more from here on. 

As ‘You Are so Beautiful’ starts up, Cassandra cuts Zoe off. 

“Your eyes are emerald.” She whispers into my ear. She leans back and wipes some of Zoe’s lipstick off.

“And now that I’m in your arms, they’re even brighter. How is that possible?” 

“Despite what all the others do for me, my love for you is always stronger.” I say rubbing her nose lovingly.   
We don’t realize that we continue through to a second song, no one cuts in as Cassandra and I dance together. 

“Did she do that to you?” Cassandra asks as she pushes against me, feeling my hard on. 

“Zoe is like Leilani, she really seems to know how to turn me on.” I say apologetically. 

“What am I going to do about you?” she says, looking into my eyes lovingly. 

“I have a suggestion or two, but I’m not sure if you’re ready for it.” I say in a sultry tone. 

Cassandra gives me a coy smile and giggles. “You are incorrigible. The question is: if I do that, will you be satisfied with anyone else?” She says teasingly. 

“I’ve been wondering that myself. If I love you this much already, what will happen when we completely give our love to each other?” I say looking into her eyes. 

“I’m not ready to find out.” Casandra says in a serious tone. 

“I will wait to the ends of time for you, my love.” I say giving her a soft kiss. “You just need to ask and I will do whatever you want.” 

“You are such a hopeless romantic.” She coos and gives me a loving kiss.

The music picks up and we slowly let go of each other, holding each other’s hands as we continue to dance together. After two more songs, we decide we need a break. I grab a glass of punch, then settle in and snuggle with Cassandra. 

Monique comes and sits beside us, leaning into my other shoulder. “Watching you two is amazing.” She sighs. She looks up at me. “No matter what I do, I’ll never love you like she does.” 

“I still love you no matter how much you can love me.” I say softly, kissing her forehead. 

Cassandra watches us quietly, snuggling into me, and finishes my punch. 

“How do you do it?” I mean, in the bathroom, I felt no jealousy, just what you could do to please me. Is that how you feel with others?” 

“Pretty much.” I say taking her hand. “Think of it as having more than one favourite food, because the difference between sweet, sour, and salty fills different needs for different cravings.” 

“Thinking with your stomach, now that’s not a surprise.” She teases, causing me to giggle. “So, each one of us fills a different need in you? So that the craving you have for my touch isn’t the same as the others. So, if you need to see me, no matter what the others do, it doesn’t fill that void?” Monique says thoughtfully.

“No matter how much we tried, we couldn’t get Rose’s mind off of you.” Cassandra says. “There was always this yearning she’s had, and it hurt her whenever she saw you upset.” 

“Which is why you are so upset with me.” Monique says looking at my true love. “No matter what you do, as much as she loves you, there’s still that little spot for me you’ll never fill?” 

“Yes.” Cassandra says without hesitation. “I thought I could keep her distracted from you, but she still thinks of you, no matter what any of us do.” 

“Which is why you got so emotional when I turned around and told you I missed you?” Monique says looking up at me. “All that work to close that hole, only for me to rip it wide open on you?” 

A tear rolls down my cheek. “Yes. I was starting to heal, and find a way to move on, and you reminded me why I missed you so much.”

Cassandra wipes my tear and kisses my cheek gently. I hold her close for a moment. 

“She’s your comfort?” Monique says, watching our motions. “When you're upset or emotional, she’s always there. I notice she won’t leave your side if your not okay.” She looks down thoughtfully. “I found that love helps ease your pain, but she truly knows how to use it.” 

“Rose and I have an emotional connection, It bothers me to see her unhappy.” Cassandra says gently caressing my arm. “I don’t know when it started, but since the first meltdown I helped her through, it’s been there.” 

“I honestly think it’s always been there.” I say caressing her side. “The day we met, how comfortable you’ve always been when I’m near. How you’ve always used me as a pillow…” 

“Really?” Monique says surprised. 

“I’ve never slept so peacefully as when I am in her arms.” Cassandra looks at me lovingly, kissing my cheek, and turning my chin to kiss my lips. “I noticed it the night of the slumber party. I had Rose sleep in the bed with Leilani and I. I used her bicep as a pillow, snuggled into her, and had the most peaceful sleep of my life.” She looks at me lovingly. “I feel so safe when I’m in her arms.”

“I’d say everyone does.” Tina says moving closer to us. “Something about Rose’s touch, just makes you relax, and feel that everything is going to be okay.”

“I’m sorry to break your tender moment, but I can’t just sit still and I want to dance with our girlfriend.” Tina says. 

Monique and Cassandra reluctantly let me go. Tina grins and pulls me off to the dance floor. I blow a kiss to my girls as I join my soccer team on the dance floor. We dance and bump and grind to the music. You wouldn’t know that I’ve been up for over 18 hours with the energy I show on the dance floor. The way I’ve been teasing Zoe and Trent, they are going to go at it like wild animals when they finally get home. 

About halfway to the next set of slow songs, I pull Travis off. We find a nice quiet place in the school, but not the bathrooms, where we can be alone. 

“I can’t leave you with all this sexual frustration tonight.” I say as we kiss passionately. “I’m going to satisfy you like I did Leilani.” I say in a sultry tone. 

He’s about to say something, but my sliding down his body, freeing his hard member from his pants and taking him deep in my mouth ends any other conversation. I am still turned on from the last bout of slow songs and I passionately take his full length and work at getting him off. It doesn’t take long, and he grunts, holds my head and empties a larger load than I recall down my throat. It’s almost too much to swallow. 

“Wow!” I say as I continue to jack him off. “You’ve been holding on to that for a while.”

“Okay, Leilani isn’t as good as you are at a blowjob. That was amazing!” He moans.

“We’re not done yet.” I say in a sultry tone. 

I pull up my skirts and offer myself to him. I’m so worked up that I don’t think I’ll need lube for this. Sure enough, as I lean forward and feel him push at my entrance, my muscles relax, and start pulling him at the moment he pushes past my opening. 

“Oh, wow!” he moans as I quickly take his length deep inside of me.

I let go a long satisfying moan, it’s been too long since I’ve felt him inside of me. I so missed this. We soon work in tandem, slowly moving against each other, relishing the moment of our joining. I can feel it build in my toes as I pick up my pace. That wonderful full body orgasm that I love so much. 

“Make love to me!” I say passionately 

Travis turns me around and lies on top of me as we kiss passionately. I put legs around him pushing into his lower back with my feet; I didn’t think it was possible, but it feels like he’s even deeper now than before as we work up to getting each other off. I feel his member get larger and pick up the pace, wanting to cum when he does, and my body stiffens as his member throbs. We are locked in orgasmic bliss as I feel him empty deep inside of me. It feels like time as if stood still. 

When he finally collapses on top of me, I let go a deep breath of joy and hug him close to me. “Thank you. That was amazing.” 

“I can’t remember this feeling so good before.” He mumbles into my shoulder. 

We’re laying there, enjoying the moment, when Tina finds our hiding spot. “There you two are.”

I look up at my girlfriend. “Wow. What did you do to Rose? Her eyes are nearly glowing!” 

“No one gets me off the way Travis does.” I purr and smile dreamily. 

“They’re about to announce the Harvest couple before the next bout of slow songs, clean up you two or you’ll miss it.” 

I sigh and groan. I was enjoying the moment alone with my boyfriend. We look at each other and smile, kiss, and then I whimper as he pulls himself off and out of me. I pull my panties back on, to keep from dribbling down the back of my skirt. Tina holds out her hand and helps me back up. 

We walk back into the gym, arm in arm. “So, you know what it’s like to both give and receive.” Tina gives me a coy smile. “If he does to you what you did to me that first night, I’m surprised you’re walking right now.” 

“I’m holding her up.” Travis says with a grin. 

“That felt really good.” I say with a dreamy smile. 

We get into the gym with a few other wanderers, including Chris and Penny. ‘One down’ he mouths as Penny and I trade ‘I got lucky’ grins. They join us as we enter. 

We join our friends at the tables. Cassandra looks at me, then to Travis. “You couldn’t wait till tomorrow?” 

“Not with how Leilani’s been dancing against me.” Travis says in his defence. 

“Wow! The look on her face, they really went at it.” Leilani says as I snuggle between her and Cassandra. 

“Just give me a few more minutes before I can walk properly.” I mumble, leaving Tina laughing. 

“Okay folks!” the DJ brings the music down. “It’s that time of the night! The time we’ve all been waiting for! Who is going to be the Harvest Couple of the Dance!?” 

Bella’s voice rings lovingly through the room. “This year’s voting has not been easy.” She looks around the room of anxious teens. “The teachers and chaperons all put in their votes. We’d like to first call up Rosemary Montgomery and her little ensemble.” 

We look at each other. “Well, you wanted to make an entrance.” Tina winks. 

We stand up and make our way arm in arm up to the DJ setup. About halfway to the front, we hear a clap, and then more clapping, they’re clapping in rhythm to our walking as we make our way to the mic. They finish with a cheer as we reach Bella. 

“Now my lovely dears. The five of you are definitely the most amazingly dressed of the dance. The hard choice was to decide just two of you.” She says looking at us and then at the crowd as the clapping subsides.

“Now we know that, traditionally, it is a boy and a girl that get voted.” She leaves that hanging. “After some debate, and it was difficult, Rose doesn’t focus on just one of you… We decided that the two who deserve the crowns the most are Rose and Cassandra Goth.” 

The entire gym breaks out in cheer. Tina is happily showing her support. She wanted the two of us all along.

“Now, we have a special song for you two. You get one song, just the two of you, before we allow anyone else on the dance floor.” 

Bella puts one crown on her daughter, while coach Roberts places the other on mine. Bella congratulates us with kisses on the cheek, and the song ‘I Want to Know What Love Is.’ Starts up and we dance close to the song. 

The moment is magical, as we are literally the centre of attention. Dancing to the song, looking into each other’s eyes. “I don’t know what I did to deserve you, but I am not about to deny what I feel for you now.” Cassandra says lovingly. 

“You are and will always be the one I love the most.” I say as we hold each other close, cheek to cheek, and feel the love we share. 

“After watching these two, I think we can see what love is.” Says the DJ as he plays the next slow song, ‘When a Man Loves a Woman.’

Travis and Leilani dance beside us, followed by Trent and Zeo. She reaches out and clasps my hand congratulating us. Penny slides up with Chris next to show their support. 

“Seeing you two together is what has helped Pam and I be so comfortable together.” Says Mia as she puts her hand on my arm affectionately. 

Amber and Brent come up to us and congratulate us next, followed by a very cuddly Claudia and Tim. 

“He’s such a sweetheart.” Claudia swoons. “I’ve never imagined dating such a romantic, thank you.” 

Another song follows, and Cassandra and I are still dancing together. One by one, couples come up and celebrate our naming. Even Susan and Paul show their support, where I would expect her to be jealous. 

Travis finally cuts in. “May I have one last dance with my girlfriend before the night is over?” 

“Sure.” Cassandra says, giving me one last loving kiss and joining Tina and Monique at our tables. 

We dance to ‘My Heart Will go On.’ We hold each close. “Thank you, for everything tonight.” He says as he looks into my eyes. “I have never imagined a dance could be so touching, so loving, so erotic, and so meaningful… not before I met you.” 

I play with his hair as we kiss, and I look into his eyes. “I never in my life imagined myself in the arms of a man and loving it…. Not before I met you.” 

The dance floor disappears, and it’s just the two of us and the music. It just feels so magical. When the music stops, we just look at each other and kiss lovingly before joining our friends.


	67. Ending a Magical Night

“It is that love you all share that made it really hard to decide who should wear the crowns.” Bella approaches as we sit down. “If I could give a crown to more than two, it would go to you, Travis, and to Leilani. The four of you form such a tight circle of love, it’s amazing how you share one another with no jealousy, no hesitation, or arguments.” She looks to Monique and Tina. “I know you care much for our Rose as the others, do not feel forgotten, despite the heartaches you may have shared to get here.” 

Monique blushes at that comment. “I’m learning to not take advantage of the most amazing person I’ve ever met.” She says timidly. “I almost lost her once from my own stubborn foolishness, I don’t want to make that mistake again.” 

Bella smiles. “Leilani, we’ll drive you home so that Travis doesn’t have to go too far. That is, if you don’t have plans.” 

Leilani’s face darkens. “I don’t think my parents would approve of me not coming home tonight.” 

“So, why is Rose going home with you?” Monique catches on the undertone. 

“Rose is part of our family.” Bella says, putting a hand on my shoulder. “And I trust she will not take advantage of my daughter.”

“I just want to hold Rose and dream those lovely dreams I have when she’s in my arms.” Cassandra says softly. 

“I still can’t believe the love you two share with each other without sex.” Amber says in amazement. 

“There is more to love than physical intimacy.” Bella says in a motherly tone. “That Rose has found that bond so soon and so young, is a rare gift.” She squeezes my shoulder. “Enjoy your night.” 

She saunters away and I watch her, Cassandra pulls my face away. “Will you quit checking out my mother?” 

“What!?” I say in my defence, causing our friends to laugh. 

“Rose is always turned on, there’s no off for her, just one hormone.” Brent says teasingly. 

“Well, with the mind of a woman, and the lower body of a man, how can you blame her?” Amber says. “What doesn’t trigger one want, triggers the other.” 

I blush at her comment. “I’m not that bad, am I?” 

“Who else in our circle of friends would you be dating given the chance?” Penny challenges. 

“Well, Tim’s pretty cute, but I think I’ll leave him to Claudia, I think she’ll be enough to keep him busy for a while.” I wink at our newest couple.

Tim blushes and Claudia pulls him to her and they kiss each other deeply. “I’ll make sure of it.” She purrs. 

As the night wears down, there are fewer people on the dance floor, and more people just cuddling as couples. I know I don’t feel like doing any more dancing and say as much. 

“How long have you been up, Rose?” Penny asks, cuddling into Chris. 

"Beth woke me up at 3 this morning.” I say. 

“How are you still awake!?” Chris says in amazement. 

“I think she’s been running on adrenaline since we got here.” Tina says. “I know it’s sure feels like it…” 

We’ve managed to sort of cuddle like we usually do. I’m in Travis’ lap, with my legs on another chair to allow Cassandra to snuggle into me. Leilani and Tina have pushed chairs on my right, with Tina cuddled into me and Leilani in her lap. Monique is comfortably cuddled into my left.

“So, what’s going on with you two?” Tim says looking at my two girlfriends cuddled together. 

“I discovered a new side of Tina.” Leilani says in a sultry tone. “She’s a fantastic kisser.”

“That’s not all she’s good at.” I say suggestively. “We must see what else she can do tomorrow..” 

“Where are we going?” Leilani asks, “The swimming hole?”

I see Penny and Chris tense up, Travis notices as well. “No, we’ll leave the swimming hole for someone else to enjoy this weekend", Travis gives them a wink. “I have another place in mind.” He says with a cunning smile. We can see our friends relax. 

“Am I going to like this?” Leilani says playfully. 

“Oh, I think we’ll all enjoy it a lot.” He says with a grin. “It’s a nice private place for us to enjoy time alone.” 

“I like the idea of that.” Tina says in a sultry tone. 

“How do you get there?” Monique says curiously, wondering if she can invite herself. Our group sex romp in the toilet has left her curious for more. 

“By bike, the road access washed out three years ago after the hurricane, and no one bothered to fix it.” He says. 

“Oh.” She says. “I don’t think I can bike all the way from my place.” 

“We’ll have to find some other options next weekend.” I offer in compensation. 

“Okay.” She says happily. 

Bit by bit, couples drift off together. As we’re here till the end with Bella being a chaperon, Cassandra and I say goodnight to our friends. First to Trent and Zoe. I tell her I’ll call her later, to arrange when to come over Monday. She nods and gives me a kiss and then waits for Trent to give me one too before they leave. Next we say goodnight to Chris, Penny, Pam and Mia as they’ll be going to the Stuart house. I pass Chris more condoms as he leaves, and he thanks me. We say goodnight to Brent and Amber, followed by Tim and Claudia. 

“See you Tuesday.” I say to them, giving them both a hug.   
Monique leaves my side reluctantly as Yasmin and Brad are set to leave. I give her a long, loving kiss. Once we break our embrace, Yasmin hugs me tight, I can feel her hesitate, then she suddenly she backs away, looks into my eyes. 

“Just this once.” She says, before giving me a soft loving kiss, then running to Brad to lean against him. 

I smile. She’s been wanting to do that for so long, and Brad gave her permission just this once. I look at them. “Brad?” He suddenly looks at me, surprised. “Come here.” His expression is between a frown and worry as he approaches me. “Just so you know why she’s wanted this…” I say to him I put my hands around his neck and pull him down for the same kiss I gave his girlfriend. 

As I let him go, I see his smile grow as he touches his lips. He reaches out for Yasmin as they wander off. 

“I think you opened another door to what Yasmin’s been looking for.” Cassandra says beside me. 

“I didn’t want him to feel left out.” I say with a smile. “My kissing Yasmin would have eventually eaten away at him.”

“That’s how it started with Trent and Zoe.” Travis reminds me. “I’m going to get Tina home.” 

“Okay.” I turn to my boyfriend. “After lunch?” I offer, knowing that Cassandra will want us to spend some time together. 

“Sure.” He smiles, and he gives me a long loving kiss. “See you tomorrow.” 

Tina comes up to me to get her kiss goodnight. “See you tomorrow.” I say lovingly and pull her in for a long, deep kiss goodnight. “No flirting with my boyfriend.” I say teasingly. 

“No guarantees on that?” she teases back and gives me another kiss before taking his offered arm. 

“Oh! I need my backpack.” I say suddenly and follow them out, putting my arm around Travis as I catch up. 

We head out to the van, and he hands me my bag. I give each of my lovers one last kiss as Tina gets up into the passenger seat. “Drive safe.” I say worried, noting that Travis looks tired. 

“I will.” He says. 

I get back in to the near empty gym, saying goodnight to some people I barely know. But they all know me, and smile as I pass them by. I still can’t get over how I went from a struggling zero to one of the most popular girls in school in less than a year. 

We’re helping to put tables and chairs against the wall as the last of the students leave. I say goodnight to Libby and Craig; I knew they would be here tonight. 

“Aren’t you tired, Rose?” Coach Roberts asks. “You’ve must have been awake for over 20 hours by now.” 

“Close to it.” I say with a grin. “When this adrenaline high finally wears out, I’ll be out like a light.” 

“It’s a good thing I’m just looking for cuddles tonight.” Cassandra teases. 

“The reason the teachers and parents chose you two as the dance couple is that you have one of the purest romances going.” He smiles. 

“I’ve almost reached second base.” I say thoughtfully. 

“And that’s as far as it’ll get tonight.” Bella says in a motherly warning. 

“Yes, Mama.” Cassandra and I say together, making her smile. 

“You are both so darling together.” She smiles lovingly. “Come, let’s go home.” 

“Goodnight, Coach.” I say as Cassandra puts her arm around me. Leilani had dozed off in the corner and suddenly gets up and puts her arm around the other side. We walk out of the gym together. 

We drive home excitedly, talking about the night and all the fun we had. Bella looks at my overtired enthusiasm. 

“You are going to crash the moment we get in, aren’t you?” she says with a smile. 

“I hope I get my night routine done first.” I say with a smile, leaving her to shake her head in wonder. 

We get to Leilani’s house, and I get out of the car with her. I see her to her door and give her a long loving kiss goodnight. 

“Have your dad prep your bike, we’ll come get you after lunch.” I reconfirm with her. 

Leilani nods. “I barely use it, I hope I’ll be okay.” 

“You’ll fine, we won’t go fast.” I smile. 

“Okay.” She grins, gives me one last kiss goodnight. I wave to her mom through the window and head back to the car. 

We use their driveway to turn around and drive back to the Goth residence.   
We get in, and the house is quiet, everyone else is asleep. We quietly go upstairs and Bella goes into her bedroom. 

“She has her own bathroom, so we can use the one in the hall.” Cassandra says. 

I get my pills out of my bag and take my night dose late. If I can sleep in, the morning dosage in there should balance things out. We brush our teeth and clean off our makeup before finally getting out of our dresses. I help her out of hers first, and she then helps me remove mine wearing only her panties. I slide out of the dress and relax now that my body is finally out of that corset. I’m only wearing this on rare occasions. I go to reach into my backpack for my teddy, when Cassandra’s puts a hand on my arm. 

“Can we…” she hesitates and blushes. “Just sleep like this tonight?” 

“I need to get out of these panties though.” I whisper, they’re feeling a little crusted from my sexual activities tonight. 

“Oh.” She says quietly, a reminder of the playing around that she wasn’t involved in. “Here, take this and go wash yourself down.” She says handing me her bath robe. 

I dash off to the bathroom and give my privates a sponge bath with my berry soap. When I come back into the bedroom, there is only the bedside lamp on, and Cassandra is tucked in bed already. I stop in front of her as she looks at me expectantly. I open the robe and let it drop to the ground. I see her smile as she looks me over. I approach the bed, naked as Cassandra watches me, I kneel on the bed before pulling back the covers to slide into bed beside her. 

“I still just want to snuggle tonight, but I want to feel all of you against me.” She says as she turns out the light. 

“Okay.” I say with a smile. 

I can see why she asked for this, feeling her bare skin against mine is so sensual and comforting. No clothing to separate the tenderness of each other’s touch, the softness of each other’s skin.

She turns and snuggles into my side, facing me. I feel her legs caress mine as she takes in the full body experience, using my shoulder as a pillow. She takes in a deep breath and I can feel her smile. 

“You always smell so intoxicating, I can never get enough of being close to you.” She sighs. She reaches up and we gently, softly, lovingly kiss. “Thank you for tonight.” She says looking into my eyes. 

“Tonight was amazing, and this is even better.” I play with her nose gently. “Just us, together. I miss our time alone.” 

“I’m glad Mama accepted my offer that you stay tonight. I know that you’re coming over on Sunday for supper, but that will be with family. We won’t have much time together like this.” She gives me another tender kiss. 

She settles back into my shoulder, and her hand slowly caresses my skin. The feeling is so comforting and soothing. 

“Keep that up and I’m definitely going to be asleep in no time.” I say sleepily. I can finally feel the adrenaline drain out, and I’m crashing fast. I Bring my hand up and caressing her shoulder and side. 

Cassandra giggles and and sighs at my touch. She keeps slowly, sensually comforting me off to sleep. I fall asleep, with the girl I love so much, naked against me, and loving the feeling of not having to do anything else, but enjoy each other’s touch. 

My dreams tonight feel like a vision from the future, or maybe just hopeful thinking. I hold a baby in my arms; the girl looks a spitting image of me. Later, there is a double wedding at the mansion, and all of our families are there. I see us living happily together as we go to school, and somehow Diane is involved. There’s a big house with so many children, and the 5 of us are happy together. Most prominent in my dreams are the diamond claddagh rings that Cassandra and I wear. I see them in every flashing moment. They seem to matter a lot in what shapes my future. 

I then see myself coaching kids of all ages, including my mini-me daughter. 

I’m woken from my dream as Cassandra turns around and I feel her full back against my side. And her naked rump touching my hip. I smile and close my arm around her body, placing my hand on her hip. She sighs in her sleep and relaxes against me before I hear her sleeping pattern resume. I watch her head for a moment, wondering if the images from my dreams will come true. I know we are both so young, but I can’t imagine anyone who would make me happier than the girl in my arms.

I smile at the ceiling, close my eyes, and drift back off to sleep. 


	68. Saturday Discoveries

The morning light brings me to wakefulness. The first thing that occurs to me, as I come to wakefulness is that this is not my bedroom. The second thing that occurs to me is that I have a soft warm body beside me, and she’s playing with my morning wood. 

I carefully open my eyes. The sheets are drawn down to my knees. Cassandra has her head on shoulder. Her eyes are focusing on my morning hard-on. She’s drawing her fingers along the length and poking at the tip as a bead of semen leaks out of the tip. Her legs are caressing mine, I can tell that she’s turned on, the scent of her arousal fills the room. 

“Like what you see?” I say in a soft, sultry voice. 

Cassandra looks up at me in surprise. I caress her back, trying to calm her initial surprise. Finally, a smile appears on her face. 

“Good morning. I didn’t wake you, did I?” she says mildly concerned.

“No, the sunlight coming through the windows has a habit of waking me lately.” I say with a loving smile. “You don’t need to stop what you were doing, that felt nice.” I say softly. 

Cassandra blushes and looks back down at my hard-on. “It’s so big.” She says marvelling at the view and reaches back to take it in her hand. 

“You can actually stroke it firmer, it won’t break.” I say as I reach down, closing my hand around hers, and applying more pressure. 

I hold her hand as I guide her to jerk me off. I can hear her breathing becoming shorter as the action of masturbating me is turning her on more. She looks up with me with those glassy lust-filled eyes. My hand slides down to her bottom and I cup her cheek, pulling her up for a kiss. She doesn’t hesitate and kisses me with passionate need as she continues masturbating me. She moans as a one of my fingers slides between her cheeks. She instinctively jacks me off faster and harder, reading emotions like she always does, and I bring my other hand around to her breast and massage her perfectly shaped boobs. She gasps and whimpers, and moans deeper as her kiss intensifies. It doesn’t take long for our morning passions to push me over the edge. I grunt and give a long moan as my member erupts; I pinch her nipple gently and her body shivers as I send her body into a small orgasm of her own. 

She collapses and slides down to my shoulder. “Wow!” she breathes. “I’ve never felt something so intense!” she looks down at the mess on my stomach. “Oh, that’s a lot.” Cassandra pokes at the puddle of cum and examines it. “I read in human development how the male reproductive system works, but I never imagined it produced so much in one ejaculation.” My beautiful little geek is scientifically analyzing the results of my orgasm. She is incredible. She looks up at me. “How do you clean it all up?” 

“Well, you could use tissues, or you could just eat it.” I say casually. I reach down, squeeze out the rest that’s still in my softening shaft, and stick what is on my thumb in my mouth.

“What does it taste like?” she looks at me in wonder. 

“A little salty, and creamy, kind of like runny ice cream, but not as sweet.” I reply. 

She pokes her finger in the cooling puddle and sucks the tip. She looks up at me, puzzled. “You usually just eat it?”   
"Well, if couldn’t stand the taste of mine, I’d never be able to swallow Travis’s" I reply. 

She is playing with the puddle on my stomach, testing its elasticity, drawing it up my body. I scoop some up and put it in my mouth and she watches me. I take two fingers and offer some to her. When she sucks it off my fingers, I pull her up into a kiss and share my ejaculate in a deep kiss. 

“Oh. I don’t mind it like that.” She says with a deep sigh. “But maybe another time I’ll get more bold.” She says, she lets go of me, and pulls a tissue from her nightstand, and cleans up the rest on my stomach. 

“That is further than I was expecting for your first time. Don’t feel you have to do something you’re uncomfortable with.” I say in a comforting tone. 

“You are so patient with me.” She says caressing the skin around my breasts. I lay there and watch her explore my breast, as I gently caress her back. “Your breasts are bigger than mine, and yet still just as firm.” She says dreamily. 

I sigh at her touch. “And very sensitive.” I smile and lay back. 

“It doesn’t bother you if I do this?” She says, drawing her hand around the base of my breast. 

“It feels really good.” I say with a soft voice. 

There is a knock on the door. Cassandra gasps and grabs the blankets, pulling them back over us. “Are you two awake?” her mother’s voice asks, cracking the door open slightly. 

“Yes Mama, we are just talking.” Cassandra replies, trying to hide the panic from her voice. 

“Breakfast is ready, come and eat.” She says in a motherly tone. 

"Yes, Mama.." We both answer. 

She sticks her head in and looks at us snuggling and smiles. “Come down when you are ready.” 

She closes the door, and Cassandra relaxes. I smile and give her a kiss on the forehead. “No more exploring for this morning…” I say teasingly. 

“Oh, you.” She says in mock insult. 

“I am a wonderfully horrible influence, I know. I’ve been told that more than once.” I say with a cheeky grin.   
She smiles and gives me a loving kiss before sliding out of the bed naked. 

I lay there for a moment, admiring her full body for the first time. She is slim and petite, but in some ways more sexy than my other girls. Her body is a lovely tanned olive, her brown nipples are so tempting. She has a neatly trimmed small bush of black hair at the v of her legs. I can see that the muscle tone and definition from our weekly work-outs are forming a lovely, shapely beginning of an hourglass figure. In a year or two, she may well rival my other girlfriends in how stunning her body is. 

She gets dressed, so I slip out of bed and pull my underwear and cycle clothing out. I have a loose, over the shoulder, long sweater to wear over my outfit. I look over and Cass is dressed in simple black yoga pants and a striped long-sleeved shirt. 

She looks at me as I sort out my medications and sighs. “Is there anything that you wear that doesn’t make you look tempting and sexy?”

“Not in my wardrobe.” I give a cheeky smile. “Jane made sure that all my outfits are designed to show off either my muscles, my curves, or both.” I sometimes wonder if she purposefully wanted me to look alluring to everyone.” 

“It’s working well.” Cassandra says with a seductive smile. Puts her arms around me. “I’ve never found a girl so attractive, so tempting, and impossible to resist as you are.” 

“It might be the bit of my previous self that has that touch of masculinity to break the surface?” I smile. “Like how Tina never thought she would find a girl attractive, nor want to date one till she met me.” 

“Maybe.” Cassandra says as she nuzzles my neck. “It could also be that you smell so absolutely delectable that there are times I can’t keep my hands off of you.” 

She kisses along my neck and I moan and melt in her arms. Oh wow, she found that one weak spot without even trying again. She kisses along the underside of my ear, and along my jaw before planting a long passionate kiss on my lips. 

“Lets go downstairs before Mama gets suspicious.” She whispers, and all I can do is swallow and nod. How does her kissing my body do that to me!?

I put the estrogen pills under my tongue after she lets me go, and we head downstairs hand in hand. 

“Buongiorno.” I say with a smile as we reach the dining room. Everyone is already seated and Alexander is happily devouring breakfast. Until he hears my voice, that is. 

He suddenly turns and gasps. “Rose!” he says happily. He slides out of his chair and runs up to give me a hug. 

I return the affection, giving him a big hug. “Morning padawan, how are you today?” 

“Better now that you are here.” He grins. “Are you staying all weekend?” 

“No munchkin.” I say, and he suddenly gives me a sad look. “But I will be back tomorrow for Harvestfest.” I say with a smile 

“Yay!” He cheers and goes back down to eat. 

“Buongiorno.” Mortimer smiles. “Do you only know certain words, or do you know more?” 

Cassandra and I sit side by side, and start eating the omelets that are waiting for us. 

“I’m not as fluent as my mother’s tongue, but I can carry on a simple conversation with some effort.” I smile. 

“You are ever the fount of knowledge.” Bella says in admiration. “What languages do you know?” 

“My first language is French, followed by common Simlish.” I start. “Then I learned Elvish, followed by Italian - when National Geographic had articles about your culture 3 months in a row.” 

“Say something to me in French again.” Cassandra coos. 

“Ma belle Cassandre, ce matin vous êtes mon rayon de soleil.” I smile. 

“I love how you roll your ‘r’s and how you say my name”. She leans against me. "It sounds so romantic.” 

“You have a second language credit next term, do you not?” Her mother asks. 

“I do.” Cassandra says thoughtfully. She then looks at me. 

“Yes, I took an easy credit and went for French as my language credit next term.” I smile. “I have two language credits open next year, so I hope to expand on what I know.” 

“So if the girls and I are struggling, we can call on you?” Cassandra leans against me and bats her pretty brown eyes. 

I giggle. “Of course mia amore, I will always be there for you.” I smile at her lovingly. 

“Good.” She smiles and feeds me a bit of omelette before scooping some up for herself. 

“What is French for mia amore?” she asks thoughtfully. 

“Mon amour.” I respond. 

“Oh, it sounds just as romantic.” She sighs. “Your intonation makes it sound so beautiful” she looks at me lovingly. 

Mortimer suddenly looks thoughtful. “Did you say elvish?” 

I blush. “I’m a huge geek. I love the Elven culture presented in fiction, so I strove to learn Sindarin and Quenya as it was taught by the fantasy author who gave us the race.” I smile. 

“There are so many surprises waiting in that mysterious mind of yours.” Bella says with a smile. 

“My brother simply calls me a modern-day bard. I absorb culture and lore. When I’m not hiding in a shell, I can talk to anyone and find something that I can relate to. Mixed with all the things I’ve dabbled with, I’m a competent jack-of-all-trades.” 

“Which is why everyone loves Rose.” Cassandra leans against me affectionately. 

“You definitely have your fair share of admirers.” Bella smiles. “The dance last night showed me just how popular in school you are.”

I blush. “I’m still getting used to that.” Before I moved here, I was so different from I am now.” 

“You just hadn’t blossomed into the woman you are now.” Bella says with a smile. 

After we’re done eating, Alexander grabs my hand. “I want you to show me something first.” I tell him. 

“Okay..” He says. 

I reach into the music library and pull out Moonlight Sonata. “Now for this I want to borrow your cello, you have brought it home, right?” 

“Yes, but why my cello?” he says, confused. 

“You’ll see.” I give him a wink. 

He runs upstairs, carefully bringing his cello back down. He hands it to me, then settles down on the piano bench with me on the corner. I wait till he plays. Cassandra watches us expectantly. He has the sheet music, but I don’t. I close my eyes, focusing on the music as he plays the first few bars, then I pick up on a high note. The sound surprises him, and he almost misses his notes. About halfway through the sonata, Bella comes up, I can see the look of puzzlement on her face, I’m sure she’s never heard Alexander play the cello so well. When she sees who’s playing it, she smiles. 

“Wow!” Alexander says when he’s done playing. “Can we do another duet like that?” 

“Sure, pick a song.” I smile. 

Cassandra goes and picks Love Story, and I look at it and smile. Alexander looks at the sheet music. “You’re picking all the hard songs.” He frowns. 

“It’ll be fun.” I say. “Then I’ll play something for you.” I say. 

“Okay.” He says. 

“Read the sheets, and get the feel for the music, and we'll play.” I say. I can feel him nod and he plays. 

Bella and Cassandra watch us perform, enraptured. When we’re done playing, Bella comes around and hugs Alexander. “You have come so far in your playing, that was actually a hard piece and you didn’t stumble on it at all. I’m so proud of you.” 

I hand him back his cello, and Bella looks at me. “Do you think you can play like this for the family tomorrow?” 

“Would you rather play the piano or the cello?” I ask Alexander. 

“I’m not good enough with the cello yet.” He says firmly. 

“Then you’re fine for performing for the rest of your family?” I ask him. 

“Only if we can do a piano duet like chopsticks again.” He says. 

“Definitely.” I smile, and Bella holds the cello while he gives me a hug.

“Now, as I promised. I’ll play something for you.” I sit down at the piano and play one of my favourites that I learned to play when I was his age. 

I play ‘The Way It Is’. I drop to my soprano voice, surprising both Bella and Alexander. I had told Bella that I was transgender, but she had only ever seen the girl in me before. Cassandra looks at me in wonder, she’s only heard my voice drop like this occasionally and it always fascinates her. 

“One more?” Alexander asks. 

“Sure.” I smile and start playing ‘Don’t Stop Believin’ for him. Signing at a higher pitch this time. I can only sing soprano so much before it messes with my vocal cords. 

When I’m done signing, Bella speaks up. “I can’t believe the range your voice holds.” 

I smile and swallow, bringing my voice back up. “It actually takes a fair bit of effort now to drop that low, but singing that song at a higher pitch wouldn’t have sounded so good.” 

“But how?” Alexander says, trying to put the pieces together. 

“There is something about my past that I’ll tell you about some day, when you’re a little older to understand.” I put my hand on his shoulder. “I wasn’t always the pretty girl you see in front of you.” 

“She is so amazing.” Cassandra says coming up and holding me from behind. She leans down and I turn to kiss her. 

I turn to Alexander. “I want you to practice this song tonight.” Cassandra lets me go as I play ‘Hey Jude’. Cassandra sings the backup vocals as I sing the song. 

When I’m done playing. “Now I don’t expect you to remember the words, the song is in the book I gave you.”   
Alexander nods. “Okay.” He smiles. 

“Show me something on the cello.” I smile. 

He runs upstairs and comes back down. “The teacher is getting us to practice this piece.” He says. He shows me the sheets for Roshan’s Lament. 

“Wow, that’s an interesting song.” I say with a smile. 

“I’m not that good yet.” He says. He puts the sheet music on a stand in front of him and sits on the piano bench. 

I learned this song at his grade on the cello, and our teacher would accompany us on the piano. It helped us keep the beat. So I do the same for him as he plays. The piano keys are a simple 4/4 meter, but it helps reinforce the harder notes and keeps the pace of the song. And it’s helping. I can see him get into the music listening to my piano playing. 

When he’s done playing, he looks up. “I only missed 3 notes!” he says in surprise, “I’ve never played this well!”

“Maybe I’m your good luck charm.” I wink. “You have a natural talent for music, embrace your gift, and you may one day become a famous musician.”

He beams and turns for another hug. “Thank you Rose, can we do this tomorrow? I think I might play this in front of others.” 

“Absolutely.” I say with a smile. 

He happily carries his things upstairs. 

“You are such a wonderful influence on him.” Bella smiles. “He never applied his talents like this before he met you.” 

“I think he needed someone outside of the family to show him music could be fun.” I smile. 

“Well, you are family now, and he appreciates that even more.” Bella says as she gives me a motherly hug. “Thank you for what you’ve done for him.” 


	69. Saturday Fun

We excuse ourselves and head back into Cassandra’s room. She puts some music on, turns, and flops on the bed. I crawl on the bed over her, and she puts her hands around my shoulders, looking up at me with those lovely deep brown eyes. 

“You are amazing.” She says affectionately. “You have changed my life so much since we met.” 

“For better, I hope.” I say teasingly, and she giggles. 

“Of course for the better silly.” She pulls my head down so that we can kiss lovingly.

The kiss lingers and becomes more passionate; I roll us over so that she’s on top, that she can control where this is going. She straddles me and takes her top off. I mirror her and we go back to kissing with her hands roaming my body as the intensity of our kiss builds up. I’m glad I didn’t tuck this morning, her grinding into my crotch would be painful if I had. 

I break our kiss and start kissing along her neck, and she holds my head and guides me along her body. I finally get my wish as I kiss down her body to those tantalizing breasts. She gasps and moans as I kiss the soft flesh, making my way closer to her nipple. I suckle her sweet nubbin; she has a hand covering her mouth from being louder than the music as I bring her to orgasm. Hers are sensitive like mine and I can smell her excitement fill the room as she gets off. She collapses on top of me breathing heavily. 

“Wow! I thought earlier was good.” She says dreamily. She props herself up and kisses me deeply as a thank you. “Now time to return the favour.” She says in a husky voice. 

She kisses down my body and _wow_ , her hot mouth does things on my skin that none of my lovers have achieved. Each kiss is more pleasurable than the last, as she slowly works down my body. I’m moaning and squirming under her touch, I’ve never felt so turned on like this before. When she reaches my breasts, it’s like fireworks are exploding in my mind and I grab the pillow to cover the deep moan of pleasure that escapes my lips. I gasp and look down at her; she gives me this seductive smile and then traps my rock hard nipple in her mouth. For a girl who’s never loved another like this before, she is hitting all the right spots, and my body ripples in pleasure as my orgasm takes over me. I’ve never experienced a boob-gasm so intense as what she gives me. 

I slump down in the bed and revel in the absolute release she just gave me. 

“I figured if mine were sensitive that you got me off, I might return the favour.” She says in a sultry tone. “I think yours are even more sensitive than mine.” She says as she nuzzles between my breasts. 

“That was the most intense experience anyone’s given me like that.” I smile happily. 

“Really? Better than anyone else?” She queries. I nod. 

“It takes Travis to suck both of my breasts in turn to give me the orgasm you gave with just one. That was incredible.” I sigh. 

She kisses her way back up my body, introducing me to the intensity of her love again. I’m sure we are feeding off each other’s emotions, as she’s so turned on by the time she reaches my lips. We grind against each other; I reach down, sliding my hands under her pants, and squeeze her rump. She moans in my mouth and pushes against me harder. Even clothed, the motion of our lovemaking is intense, and we dry hump to orgasm. 

We lay in each other's arms, basking in the afterglow of combined bliss. 

“That’s more than I thought I was ready for.” She says dreamily. “But once we started, I just couldn’t stop till I got off.” 

“When we touch, it’s as if I feel your emotions.” I say, gently caressing her back as she cuddles into me. “I’ve never felt so intensely connected to a lover before. That was amazing.” I say dreamily. 

“Do you think it gets better from here?” she looks up at me. 

“It’s definitely going to get better from here.” I stroke her hair and smile.

“Your eyes are so bright, they are nearly glowing.” She says looking at me. 

“You do that to me.” I look down at her and smile lovingly. 

“Do you have to leave me this afternoon?” she says sadly, cuddling back into me. 

“I promised the others I would see them today.” I say, looking up at the ceiling. “We keep this up and I might end up going further than either of us is ready for.” 

“You don’t think I’m ready for more?” her hormones have her bolder than she actually is. 

“Your mother told me that your family stays virgins till marriage. I rather not ruin your family values for one moment of passion.” I say sadly. 

“Oh.” She says, gently caressing my body. “I guess you’re right.” She props herself up and looks in my eyes. “I was almost ready to give myself to you.” 

“I know.” I say stroking her hair lovingly. “I’m not going anywhere, we don’t have to rush into this.” 

“I just want you so much, but another part of me is so scared to go too far.” She says, her voice conflicted. 

I smile. “You are the best friend I fell in love with, and I will be yours forever.” 

“Forever?” she looks into my eyes, searching. 

“And always.” I smile lovingly. 

“Thank you.” She says snuggling back down into me and holding me tight. Feeling our naked torsos touch feels so good. 

It’s so comfortable in her arms, I feel myself drifting off to sleep. “We should probably get dressed before someone finds us laying in bed half naked.” I say. I don’t want to break the tenderness of our moment, but I’m worried her mother might get upset. 

Cassandra grumbles. “I don’t want to let you go, this is so cozy.”

“Very cozy.” I smile. “But we’ve already passed the 2nd base your mother didn’t want us to. I don’t want her to find us like this. She might get upset.”

Cassandra grumbles and whines, but can’t find something to counter my comment. So we get dressed once again, but refuse to give up snuggling. 

It’s interesting how Cassandra and I can go for romantic to ordinary. We work on homework, and go back to our normal chatty selves, only trading occasional flirting. So, when her mother says that lunch is ready, we are cuddled on the bed working on Social Studies.

“You two look so adorably comfortable.” Bella smiles. “Time to eat lunch.”

“Okay, Mama.” We say together and she smiles even larger. 

“You two are so close, I swear sometimes you are one mind.” She closes the door. 

“I don’t know about one mind.” I say as we put our books away. “But I definitely feel like we are one soul.”

“So it’s not just me then?” Cassandra looks at me lovingly. “I feel so whole, so at peace when we are together, and so empty when we are apart.” She comes up to me, wrapping her arms around me. “I’m going to miss you this afternoon.”

“As will I. You could always join us.” I offer. 

She shakes her head. “I’m not ready for what you share with the others.”

“Okay.” I say, we hold hands as we go downstairs. 

Lunch I'm distracted by a group text message with Travis, Tina and Leilani, sorting out when they will be here. I apologize to the family, I’m usually not this bad with my phone. 

“You are planning your afternoon.” Bella says with a smile. “You’re forgiven this time.”

After lunch Cassandra and I are sitting on the porch, holding hands, and discussing tomorrow. I want to see if I can be here for lunch, so that we can spend more time together, which my girlfriend absolutely loves. 

Travis pulls up first, followed by Tina on a tandem bike. 

“I borrowed this from my parents.” Tina says as Cass, and I walk down the steps, still holding hands. 

“You two have been inseparable since you were named the HarvestFest couple.” Travis comments. 

“Rose’s eyes are even a brighter green than normal with you. What have you two been up to this morning?” Tina asks Cassandra. 

My girlfriend blushes. “A lot of satisfying cuddling.” 

Tina gets off the bike, and Travis holds it as she saunters her way to me. “Well, I’m stealing our girlfriend for the afternoon, you can have her back tomorrow.” Her voice is a seductive tease. 

“I suppose I can share.” Cassandra says with a cheeky smile. 

“You’re driving.” She tells me as she comes up and gives me a loving hug and kiss. “Travis says it’s probably best.” 

“Travis is probably right.” I say with a grin and give her another kiss. 

Tina lets go of me and heads back to the tandem bike, holding the second set of handlebars. I turn to Cassandra and give her a tender, loving kiss. “À demain mon amour.” I say softly. 

“À rivederci.” She says lovingly and caresses my cheek before letting me go. 

I go up to Travis first and give him a kiss. “Afternoon handsome, ready for a day of fun in the sun?” 

“After watching you on the dance floor, I’m glad it’s not just going to be the two of us.” He chuckles. 

“I’ve managed well enough.” Cassandra giggles and teases him.

“Let’s get going.” Tina says with a giggle, “Leilani is waiting.” She’s settling herself on the back seat. 

“Okay.” I put my foot on the peddle and Tina 'eeps' as I suddenly pull myself up onto the bike in one motion, causing the bike to shift in her hands. “Better hold on tight.” I turn to look at her. She tightens her grip on the handlebars. “Ready?” 

“Wait, you’re not going to…” Travis says as Tina nods. 

I stand up on the bike and give the peddles a hard push, the bike suddenly lurches forward, and Tina gasps at the sudden movement, I can hear her squeal and giggle behind me, as I suddenly power peddle down the road. 

I look behind me, Tina is having a blast, and I can see Travis give up trying to follow us after the first block. 

Two minutes later, we’re pulling into Leilani’s driveway, I slowly break, not wanting to damage the grass as we coast into the backyard. Tina is still ‘weeing’ and giggling as we pull to a stop. 

“Wow, that was fun!” Tina says breathlessly. “How fast were we going?” 

“At least 50 klicks to make it here in two minutes.” I grin. 

Leilani comes out of the shed with her bike. “Rose!” she says and her dad suddenly grabs the bike, as she lets go to run and give me a kiss. “You said we would not go fast.” She says with concern, having heard how fast we were going. “Where’s Travis?” 

“He gave up trying to keep up with Rose, he should be here in a minute or two.” Tina giggles. “Say! How about I borrow your bike, and you ride with Rose!?” 

“That would be easier.” Leilani says thoughtfully. 

We’re adjusting the seats on Leilani’s bike and the tandem bike when Travis finally joins us, slightly out of breath. “Hey there, slowpoke.” I tease my boyfriend. 

“It’s only because of my time at the gym, that I made it here in 5.” He says in his defence. “What are you doing?” 

“Leilani will ride with me, seeing as she’s shorter than Tina, we’re adjusting the seats.” I say as I have her test out the leg distance and she nods. 

Tina climbs onto Leilani’s yellow bike and tests the breaks and handling, then nods to Mr. Forrest that it should be good to go. 

“The good thing about the next stretch, is that Travis is leading, so we’re going at his pace.” I say with a smile. 

“Which I’m thankful for.” Travis says, leaving us to giggle. 

We gather at the end of the driveway. I wave to Leilani’s dad, promising to be home by supper, and we head off following Travis. 

He goes along the creek road to the downtown bridge. We then cross and he heads south out of town. About 20 minutes later, we reach a hill, and he turns off the road before it, following the remnants of a road. The path is pitted with potholes and I work at avoiding the worst of them as I weave along the higher ground. Leilani is giggling as I turn and bank the bike to avoid the worst of the holes. Travis isn’t as adept, and he bottoms out a few times. One long turn, I can see Tina is following my bike tires. 

We finally reach the end of the road and push through the overgrown vined entrance to an old parking lot. Past the parking lot is a beautiful sight: It’s a park, or used to be. A beautiful waterfall drops 4 meters from the hill beside us, forming a pool and a small stream. There are the remnants of a bridge crossing the stream. A group of metal and stone furniture forms a picnic area. 

We get off the bikes and follow Travis into the park. “Three years ago, Hurricane Andrew decimated Willow Creek’s waterfront. Rather than fix turtle hill overlook and this park, they put all their funds into rebuilding the waterfront levé downtown and made the beach from what they couldn’t shore up.”

We lay the bikes along an old iron fence. 

“I’ve been here a few times with Tim, Chris and Brent; clearing the debris and making this a private place to hang out and even play D&D.” He smiles. 

“This place is amazingly beautiful, why did they never clean it up?!” Tina says looking around. 

The waterfall tumbles into a shaped 20m swimming hole. The storm fortunately did little damage to the stepped basin. It looks mostly natural, with some human tailoring to make it easier to get in and out of.

I look to the north. “This leads to the glade you first brought me to.” I say with a smile. 

“It does.” Travis smiles, there’s a bit of an overgrowth between here and the glade, with some effort you can get from one to the other, but you have to know where to look.” 

I put my arms around Travis and pull him into a big hug. “Oh honey, this place is amazing! Thanks so much for bringing us here.”

“I thought it would be the ideal place for today.” I don’t think anyone outside of my friends knows the park survived the storm. With the washed out road, it’s been abandoned to grow wild.”

“How does the grass not grow long?” Leilani looks puzzled. 

“Cultured grass” Tina says, leaning down. “I’ve seen them use this in the parks in the city, it won’t grow more than a centimetre, and then stunts.”

“I’m glad we don’t have to mow it.” Travis says. “It took a bit of work to make this place as nice as it is. There was a lot of broken wood. The bridge is still wobbly, but is safe. We took the worse of the debris and used it to hide the view from outside.”


	70. Waterfall Park

“I hope the water’s not cold.” Tina says as she walks towards the pool, taking off her top. 

“Oh, um. I didn’t bring a bathing suit.” Leilani says, suddenly worried. 

“With just the four of us, who needs one?” Travis says with a grin, pulling off his shirt. 

Tina’s already stripped herself of her clothes and is stepping into the water. “It’s not too bad.” She smiles, turning around. She has such a beautiful athletic body. 

I smile and start to take off my sports top as Travis finishes shedding the rest of his clothing. Leilani giggles and strips beside me. 

Travis is naked and walking to the pool when Tina turns around. “Wow Travis!” Tina exclaims. “I can see how Rose finds you so sexy, that is quite the body you’re developing.” 

Travis blushes as he slips into the water. “I wasn’t sure if I’d feel comfortable around you naked, but you stripped first, so I figured it was fair game.” 

Leilani and I are approaching the pool, arms around one another. Travis turns and whistles. “Now there’s a sight I haven’t seen in a while. My two lovely ladies as beautiful as ever.” 

“And what am I?” Tina says, mildly insulted. She comes up behind him and pushed down on his shoulders, forcing his head underwater before letting go. 

We all laugh as he comes sputtering back up for air. He wipes the water from his eyes. “I’m sorry Tina, it’s just that Rose, Leilani and I are lovers, and…” 

Tina laughs loudly. “You are so cute when you’re flustered.” She comes up to him and surprises him by giving him a big hug. As she pulls away. “You know, we can fix that and I can show you a real good time.” She reaches down, and a smile grows on her face. “Oh, you like that idea, do you?” she says in a sultry tone. 

“Show him how good of a kisser you are.” Leilani says in a seductive tone, we’re sliding into the water, still holding hands. 

“Do you mind?” Tina asks, looking into Travis' eyes. I can tell she’s still jacking him off and he slowly shakes his head. She pulls him closer, and starts with a gentle kiss, and soon their kissing intensifies. “You’re bigger than average, this is going to be fun.” Tina says huskily, and pulls herself up a bit and continues to kiss Travis. She slides down his body. By the moan that they both make, I can tell she’s already pulling him inside of her.

“Wow, she doesn’t waste any time at all, does she?” Leilani says as she realizes Tina’s already having sex with our boyfriend. 

“I can imagine she’s been horny since last night.” I say with a smile as my hand caresses Leilani’s backside. 

“That means I have you all to myself” Leilani purrs and turns to find I’m already getting hard. 

Watching my lovers have sex together is turning me on. They’re passionately kissing as Tina slowly rides Travis, he has one hand on her breast, and the other probably on her bottom as she holds him by the shoulders. We pull up beside them as I’m reaching to be hard enough to enter my girlfriend, and she slides her hot, tight hole down on me. I lean back and moan, _oh wow she feels so good_. I’ve already gotten off twice this morning, so she’s in for a treat as it’s going to be a long ride. 

Travis is already getting off inside of Tina. With her vaginal control, I can imagine she’s using all of her tricks to make this first experience together memorable. She sighs and moans as she feels him fill her her up, then her smile widens. 

“You’re still hard.” She says wiggling her butt. “You can cum a second time.” She purrs. "I want to feel you outside of the water." She commands and gets off of him. Grabbing hold of his member. 

Travis gasps as Tina guides him out of the water by his hard-on, They find a clear patch, and lay down on a large flat rock and she climbs on top of him. 

“Should we join them?” I ask my girlfriend. Leilani nods and I walk out of the water with her in my arms and still joined. 

She wraps her legs around me as I carry her to lay her down beside Travis. I sit up and continue our rhythmic love making, closing my eyes as I savour the feeling of her vagina massaging my erection. I open my eyes to see Tina & Leilani kiss passionately as we continue to have sex. I can tell Tina is close to getting off by the intensity of her motions. Sure enough, Tina stops kissing Leilani as she moans and starts getting vocal. 

“Oh, yes… you are so deep. Cum with me.” She moans and Travis complies, I hear him grunt as he gets off into her a second time and Tina cries in pleasure at the sensation of their mutual orgasm. 

Hearing their love making is pushing Leilani over the brink. She squeals, moans, and her vagina clamps down and starts to milk my rod as her orgasm builds. By her third wave, I can’t hold back any longer and push deep inside her and fill her. 

We all lay there breathing heavily. Basking in the afterglow of our lovemaking. “Wow.” Tina is the first to break the silence. “You’ve been taking lessons from Rose. That was incredible!” She sighs, cuddling into Travis. 

“I never knew sex before I met Rose.” Travis says, caressing her back. “I’ve only slept with her and Leilani. You took my by surprise, but I definitely enjoyed it.” He smiles. 

“Tina is amazing in bed.” I smile. “Come here hot stuff and let me give you something bigger to play with.”

“Hmm..” She purrs. “There’s a proposition I’ve been waiting for.” 

I’m still hard, and Leilani whimpers as I pull out of her. Tina slides off of Travis and crawls like a cat towards me, there’s a look of hunger in her eyes as she’s eager for what I’m about to do next. She slides into my lap, and guides my hard-on into her and pulls her self close as I push deep with the first thrust. She gasps as she locks her legs around me, and we kiss passionately as she moves up and down. She pushes me down, unlocking her legs so she can straddle me, allowing her to ride my full length. 

“Oh, wow, you are so hard!” she moans as she thrusts herself down on me. 

I look over, and Leilani is sucking Travis back to hardness. “Hmm.. She tastes pretty good.” Leilani coos as she takes Travis deeper in her mouth. Travis is fingering her to get her really worked up for what’s coming next. 

Tina is just a little less tight than Leilani, so I’m able to hold back longer as she bounces up and down, she’s already gotten off at least once, and is coaxing me to come with her as she builds up for another orgasm. She reaches down and pinches my nipples, causing me to moan and buck up into her. She grins as she feels my member expand and keeps playing with my nipples, pushing me over the edge. We both share a powerful orgasm. Feeling both my member and my body get off is incredible. 

“You just had a double orgasm.” Tina coos in my arms. “I could feel your entire body tremble just before I got off.”

“I did.” I sigh happily. “The things you do to me…” 

I glance over and Leilani looks at Travis lovingly. “Want to do it in the front for a change, handsome? I’m on the pill now, you can’t get me pregnant.” 

Travis nods and we watch as she climbs on top of him and guides him into her hole. He gasps and moans as she sinks all the way down on the first thrust. 

Tina lies on top of me as we watch them make love. “She’s tighter than you, with just as much vaginal control, he’s in for a treat.” I smile as I caress Tina’s body. 

Sure enough, I can see the look on Travis’ face, he’s really enjoying it, as Leilani focuses on pleasing him. By the look on her face, she is using all of her tricks and sure enough it doesn’t take long for the two of them to orgasm together. 

Once they come down from their bliss, Travis looks over at us lovingly. “I am now truly spoiled.” He sighs. 

“I’ve never felt so joyously drained in my life. You girls are incredible.” 

“Takes an excellent lover to make fantastic sex.” Tina says, playing with my hair. “I thought Rose was an exception, only to find the next best thing in her boyfriend.”

“Hey!” he says, mildly offended. 

Leilani giggles in his arms. “I told you honey, you are damn good, but no one can beat Rose in bed.” 

He plays with her hair and kisses her forehead. He looks over to me. “No, you’re right, no one can beat Rose in bed.” He runs his hand over Leilani. “Though you, my hot little minx, are just as tight, and I don’t know if I’ll ever be happy doing you from behind now that I know what your pussy can do.” 

“So you like it, do you?” she purrs, playing her hand on his shoulder. 

“Like is the understatement of the decade.” He sighs. “I think I love you more than ever now.” 

We lay there exchanging terms of endearment, but I need to wash. “I need to swim.” I say after a while. 

“Does that mean I have to get off of you?” Tina pouts. 

“I could always just carry you with me.” I say with a cheeky grin. 

“Really?” Tina says with a challenging smile. 

“Sure.” I grin. “Hold on tight.” I warn her. 

I plant my feet and hands underneath me, forming a bridge. Tina immediately wraps her arms and legs around me and holds me tight as I kick my feet up, then push up with my hands. Even with her weight on top of me, I spring myself onto my feet. She 'eeps' and giggles as I put my arms around her. 

“I should have known with the handstand you did at the restaurant that you would pull this off.” she giggles as she hugs me close. 

We slip into the cool water and I do a lazy backstroke as she still holds on to me. Her legs relax and she floats with me as we kick and swim into the shoulder deep part of the pool. I see my other two lovers join us, hand-in-hand and we just happily float together. Travis and Leilani each hold one of my arms as we paddle and swim in circles, letting the flow of clean water wash our bodies. 

“This is so nice.” Tina sighs as we relax and let the water sooth our bodies. “Thanks for bringing us here, Travis.” 

“I was hoping for today to build to this, I just wasn’t expecting it to happen so fast.” He chuckles. 

“I was so horny after last night, seeing that delicious body of yours, I couldn’t contain myself any longer.” Tina sighs. 

“Hottest geek in school” Leilani purrs. “Once we started dating Rose together, I had to see what she saw in him, and definitely was not disappointed.” 

“That first threesome was incredible, and it’s just gotten better since.” Travis says dreamily. 

Tina reaches over and caresses Travis’ shoulder. “When you show up to school on Tuesday with three girlfriends, the other guys are going to be so jealous.” 

“Oh, we’re dating now?” Travis says with a cheeky grin. 

“Boyfriend, the passionate love we just shared, do you think this will be the only time I want to sleep with you?” 

“I definitely like the prospects of that.” Travis smiles, pulls himself up and gives her a loving kiss. “Leilani is right, you are an amazing kisser.” 

“She’s a lot more than that.” I smile, cup her chin and give Tina a kiss. “To think this may never have happened if I hadn’t needed your comfort that day on the bus.” 

“Oh, I’m sure it would have happened, eventually.” Tina gives me a squeeze. “I’ve never been so attracted to another girl, it was only a matter of time till something happened.” 

“What do your parents think of you dating your team captain?” I wonder out loud. 

“It surprised them that I’m bisexual to begin with.” Tina says caressing my chest. “Hell, I’m surprised that I’m bisexual.” She giggles. “My parents have been to a couple of our games.” She admits. “They’ve seen us on the field.”

“Oh, really?” I say surprised. 

“Yep, I’ve seen them in the stands, if they show up at the next one I’ll introduce you.” Tina smiles. 

“That would be nice.” I kiss her nose. 

“Does it bother you I want to sleep with Travis again, Leilani?” Tina says, making sure that we keep this as an open and honest relationship. 

Leilani looks thoughtful for a moment. “No, Travis and I share solid connection, I don’t mind that you two become intimate.” 

Tina looks at her a bit surprised causing me to chuckle. 

“She might be a playful little hot pot, but she will surprise you with how mature she can be.” I smile and pull Leilani in for a kiss.

Leilani welcomes the affection.” Which is why it’s so frustrating when my parents treat me like I’m still a child.” She looks at me. “I want to be with you and not have our time limited.” 

“Give them time.” I smile. “We’ll see how things go this summer.” 

We get out of the pool to sun on the rocks. I get out some lotion from my backpack. And we take the time to apply the cream on one another so that we don’t end up with sunburns. Trees shade half of the pool, the other half is bathed in sunlight, with large flat rocks to relax on. We lay side by side and talk randomly about whatever comes to mind: how long this warm weather will last? Will there be any terrible storms? Travis reminds us that, while it’s going on to winter further north, we’re closer to the equator here, so it’s more like mid-summer. Willow Creek actually gets more rain in the summer than in the winter. 

“I shouldn’t have misled you about winter cycling. This is actually one of the driest months.” Travis says. “We probably won’t see rain for a few of weeks.” He smiles. 

“So we can make a few more trips here.” Tina smiles and caresses my side. 

“Or the swimming hole.” Travis says. “It’s a bigger lake and gives more room to swim.” 

“Do we need more room to swim?” Leilani ponders. 

“I’m sure that Rose and I would appreciate that, so we can do a few laps.” Tina replies before I can. 

“Do you two ever stop?” Leilani says surprised. 

“Not if we can avoid it.” I say with a grin. 

“So".. Tina says pondering. "Leilani says sex with two cocks is amazing. How does that work?"

“Well, you have two holes.” I say suggestively. 

“So I would take one of you up the ass?” Tina says, mildly surprised. 

“It feels fantastic!” Leilani sighs. “Want a demonstration?” she says in a sultry tone. 

“Yeah.” Tina says curiously. 

“Okay, first we need to get these two hard.” She announces, reaches over and plays with my member as she climbs over to suck me off. 

Tina catches on and starts on Travis. I can hear him groan in pleasure. “Wow, I thought Leilani was good at a blowjob.” He moans. 

“I have more experience.” Tina says playfully and takes his full length into her mouth and down her throat. She lets him go with a popping sound. “Okay, he’s ready.” She giggles. 

Leilani nods and straddles me. The thought of what we’re going to do already has her wet in anticipation. She sinks down onto me. I reach into my bag and hand Travis the lube, she’s probably dry back there. Travis takes the small tube and puts a dab on her hole. She gasps and then coos as he warms up the liquid and then pushes into her back end. I can feel his member slide alongside mine and it feels so good. Travis and I work together, pulling in and out in tandem, and it doesn’t take long to get Leilani vocal and close to orgasm. We work at her even harder, if we can time it right… 

Sure enough, as Leilani’s orgasm hits, I can feel her holes tighten, and Travis isn’t far behind her as the first wave hits and I join them to prolong the mutual orgasm as the three of us get off together. 

“Wow. That’s so hot.” Tina says, playing with herself as we come down from the experience, breathing heavily. "Can you two stay hard for me next?" 

Leilani whimpers as first Travis pulls out, and then I pull out as he picks her up and off of me. She lays there still in post orgasmic bliss, watching as Tina straddles my cock. Travis is quick to get into position and she moans as she feels him penetrate her backside. 

“Go slow back there, I’ve not had someone up my ass before.” She says as she puts her hand back to stop him from sinking in too fast. 

We move slowly, as she gets used to his assault on her backside. I can feel her vagina relax as she works to relax herself, to let him in deeper. The motions are slow, as we both pull almost all the way out, only to gently push all the way back in. Soon, I can feel her get into the rhythm of it, and she moans and sighs at the combined feeling. 

“I’ve never felt so full before!” she moans. “This is better than I imagined.” She groans as she pushes herself all the way back. “Oh wow. You’re going to come in me, right?” she gasps as we pick up the pace. 

“With how tight you are, definitely.” Travis groans as I can see him actually trying to hold back for her orgasm to start. 

“Hmm.. Yes.” She moans. “So good, so deep, so full, oh wow!” she cries out as I feel her vagina start the cycle of her orgasm, I’m only a touch better than Travis in holding back, once she starts the second wave and her holes tighten more, I feel Travis’s member swell, causing my own to trigger, and we cum together in a powerful finish. 

I’m glad this park is far from people, because we are anything but quiet as we share in getting off. We lay there on top of each other, breathing heavily, drenched in sweat from the intensity of our lovemaking. 

“Wow.” Tina says letting out a long happy sigh. “Rose, you are spoiled with these two, I could really learn to enjoy this.” 

Leilani crawls over to us. “As good as you hoped.” 

“Way better than I could ever imagine.” Tina smiles dreamily. “I think that was the strongest orgasm I’ve ever felt, and I didn’t think that was possible after sleeping with Rose last weekend.”


	71. Afternoon Delights

“I need to cool off in the pool.” Travis announces and gets up. 

“Oh, I don’t think I’m going to like this..” Tina bites her lower lip and whimpers as Travis pulls out. “Now my back is cold.” Tina pouts. 

I giggle. “You are too cute.” 

“I’m a spoiled cute.” She giggles. “After dating three absolute failures in love and romance, I meet up with a relationship circle that has introduced me to the best sex I’ve ever experienced.” She holds me tight. “Rose?” 

“Yes, my love?” I say softly. 

“Never leave me?” she says. “I’ll never find a love like yours again.” 

“I’m not going anywhere, anytime soon.” I say lovingly. 

“Good.” She smiles. “Carry me into the pool again?” 

“You are spoiled.” I kiss her nose causing her to giggle. 

I sit up and with Leilani’s help pull myself onto my feet with Tina still in my arms, still joined. 

I carry my girlfriend into the pool, and she hugs me close, and relishes in our touch. I think she’s getting more out of this than I am. While her body touching mine is sensual and feels nice, it doesn’t quite match the feeling I had this morning holding Cassandra. 

Leilani joins us into the pool and the girls kiss as they reach eye level with one another. 

“Thank you for sharing Travis.” Tina says giving Leilani another tender kiss. “Today has been amazing, and I will never forget it.” 

We swim as couples, with Travis and Leilani holding each other and Tina holding me as if I’ll disappear if I let her go. 

“You are amazingly clingy today.” I tease her. 

“You showed me so many wonderful things this weekend. I just want to savour every moment we have together.” She says dreamily. 

"We have another hour, but then we need split for supper.” I remind her. 

“No, not letting you go.” She says like a little girl cherishing her favourite toy. She’s quiet for a moment. "Rose, can you come to my place for supper?” 

“Want to keep me longer, do you?” I smile. 

“Absolutely.” She says snuggle in closer. 

“Someone’s hooked more than she expected.” Travis teases her. 

“I know that feeling.” Leilani says, snuggling into Travis. “The time I realized it wasn’t just the sex, that I actually love you… I was much like she is now.” 

“Hmm.. I remember that.” Travis says, as his hands gently caress her body. “I think you came to that realization before I did.” 

Leilani looks up and they kiss lovingly. She then relaxes back in his arms and snuggles in. 

“Rose?” Tina says and looks up at me with those lovely hazel eyes. “Do you love me?” 

“Of course I love you, my dear.” I kiss her nose tenderly.

“No, do you **really** love me?” she asks insistently. 

“Wow, she’s falling for Rose big time now.” Leilani says quietly. “I remember asking that same question.” 

I bring my hands up and gently bring my fingers through her hair. “Tina, you are joy and energy wrapped up in a ribbon of caring. I love you.” I say tenderly and give her a soft kiss. 

She pulls herself up and deepens the kiss, and I can feel her need for love and affection in her kiss. She’s said it before, but it’s now that I realized that she’s never truly loved any of her previous relationships, and this new feeling is strange, compelling, and maybe even scary. 

“You’ve never really loved you past boyfriends?” I say as we break our kiss. 

She leans into my chest and shakes her head. “I never really knew what love was till I met you, and the more time we spend together, the stronger that feeling gets.” She looks up in my eyes. “And yet you share this heart, this deep connection with each of us. I love and trust you so much, I thought I might be jealous of the others, but to see you share your love just makes me love you more. What have you done to me?”

“Shown you what the power of love can truly achieve.” I whisper softly. I never really realized it myself, but that’s what this relationship is about. 

Each one of my loves is a deep part of myself, connected, joined, in heart and in mind. It’s how we work as one happy unit. We just share a commonality that strengthens our bond. And there will soon be two more.

We float there, holding each other. “I can feel it building in Trent and Zoe as well.” Tina says caressing my back, reading my thoughts. “But I don’t feel it from Monique.” She looks up at me. “Why?”

“Monique and I share a conventional relationship.” I say thoughtfully. “It may have become what we share, but she’s still monogamous. She will reach her limit and she will never share herself like we all do together.” 

“That’s too bad. She’s really cute.” Tina says causing me to giggle. 

“You want a shot at her boobs, don’t you?” I say teasingly. 

“Maybe.” Tina says blushing. “I mean, she’s got these D cups and a booty that doesn’t stop!” 

“You are adorable.” I kiss her forehead. 

“You opened my inner queer, I can’t bottle it now.” She says playfully. “Like with Leilani, I never imagined kissing another girl besides you, I can see why you are so attracted to her, her body is so hot.” 

I can feel Leilani’s feet reach over and caress our bodies. “What I lack in athletic ability I make up in other ways?” she says seductively. 

“Hmm. You are a hot little nymph, it’s going to be fun getting to know you better.” Tina says playfully. 

“We should get out and dry off so that we can get home.” I say looking at my watch. 

“Awe.” The girls say together and then giggle, realizing they were thinking the same thing at the same time. 

“Come here, Leilani.” I say. She lets go of Travis and swims to my side. 

I carry the girls out of the pool, one in each arm. “You’re so strong.” Leilani says leaning against me. 

I can feel Travis’ hand against my backside, and smile at him lovingly as he walks beside me. We make our way to the picnic area, settling down on the stone tables, and sun ourselves in the afternoon heat. 

“Next time we need to remember to bring blankets.” Travis says. 

“Yes, it was a challenge to not scrape my knees on the rock when we were making love.” I agree with him. "Next weekend, I’d like to invite you all to the pool at my place.” I say as we enjoy the warmth of each other and the sun. 

“Oh! That sounds like fun, but that means bathing suits, right?” Leilani says. 

“Yes, it was Monique’s request. There are staff and family, so no naked sex play in the house pool.” I say calmly. 

“Where’s the fun in that?” Tina whines. 

“Till my family gets home, I’m sure we can do at least one quick bout of fun in my bedroom” I grin. “If you all arrive before lunch, that will give us 6 hours to ourselves.” 

“Now that’s something I can agree with.” Leilani smiles and reaches out to caress my arm. “It’s because Mo wants to try group sex again after what we did in the bathroom, isn’t it?” she finishes. 

“What did you girls do in the bathroom?” Travis now gets curious. 

“Between Monique and I, Rose was painfully rock hard and needed relief.” Leilani starts.

“It was my idea to sneak into the toilets.” Tina says with a coy smile. “The idea was to get Rose off so that she wouldn’t be a horrible tease for the rest of the night.” 

“Okay.” Travis says, feeling there’s more to it. 

“Then this hot little minx wanted more than a blowjob.” Tina says reaching over and poking Leilani on the nose, causing her to giggle. “Seeing as Rose had already gotten off once, we each took a turn on her till she got off again.” 

“I can see how that would be fun.” Travis says with a smile. “But if we do that together, I’m not having sex with your girlfriend.” He says poking my shoulder. 

“She really is outside of our relationship, isn’t she?” Leilani says curiously. 

“Yes.” Travis says. “I’m willing to call Zeo my girlfriend before I will admit to dating Monique.” He says seriously. 

“Wow, you really don’t like her, do you?” Tina says surprised. 

“She hurt Rose, I will never forgive her for that.” Travis says with a grim smile.

“Travis and Cassandra are the most adamant against Monique and I dating again. I can understand why, and I wish I could just say no to her…” 

“But as your first girlfriend and lover, she knows what strings to pull.” Tina finishes. “I will never do that to you my love.” 

“Thank you.” I smile. “I’m hoping that Monique will just give up on her own, not being able to come to terms of our relationship circle.” I sigh. “She is still the same jealous monogamous girl I met this summer, I don’t know what she’s trying to prove asking me back.” 

“That she can adapt and not let go of the best lover that she’s ever had.” Tina replies. “I can see where she’s coming from, unlike these two lovebirds, Monique and I have previous relationships to compare.” She turns and looks at me. “You have set a bar that I don’t think I’ll ever find with someone else, I can see her compulsion to not let you go.” 

I frown and sigh. “I never asked for this…” 

“No, you didn’t. I can imagine breaking out of the shell from the shy, withdrawn, angry, almost anti-social nerd you were as a male took a lot of work.” She says caressing my shoulder. “Monique found a naïve, budding, athletic, romantic amazon, that thought she could take advantage of - because of your inexperience.” 

“And awoke in me something that I didn’t know I had.” I say. “I charismatic romantic that openly shares her heart, making me the hottest attraction in school.” 

“I couldn’t keep my hands off of Rose.” Leilani says. “I showed her she could have a loving relationship without strings attached.” Turning around and caressing my other shoulder. “I just wanted Rose’s love and didn’t ask her to change who she was.” 

“Between their burgeoning romance” Travis adds, Cassandra and I showed her that friendship doesn’t have to come with a condition, making it harder for Monique to control her.”

“You all worked so hard to help me keep my head on my shoulders.” I say lovingly. “It’s what led me to fall in love with you as well.” 

“So, Monique was your first lover, what I saw in the toilet wasn’t phenomenal, how did you become such an amazing lover?” Tina says curiously. 

“I don’t know.” I say thoughtfully. “It just happened. When Monique realized I had amazing endurance, we would see how long we could continue to have sex before I would go soft.” 

“Oh, really?” Tina gets curious. “How long can you go at it?” 

“Over two hours, but try as I might, I can’t get off a third time in a row and you get a little raw after that.” I say with a smile. 

“Oh wow, that is amazing.” Tina says dreamily. 

“I found it’s a lot more fun if you stop after an orgasm or two and then go back at it again after a slight break.” I smile, thinking of some of the marathon sex sessions I’ve had between Monique and Leilani. 

“How many times can you do it in one night?” Tina is really curious now. 

“Five, Seven if it’s just not my member being played with.” I say. “But it’s really hard to walk after that.” 

Tina breaks out laughing. “Oh, wow.” She says amazed. “You are amazing.” 

“Being fucked senseless is definitely quite the experience.” Leilani says dreamily. 

“I can definitely agree with that.” Travis says with a smile. 

“You too?” Tina looks at him in surprise. 

“I had trouble sitting down the next day after we went at it all night.” I say recalling the night that we slept together. 

"I think I’ve been calling the wrong girl a hot nymph.” Tina teases me, making us all laugh.

“Being a poly amorous bisexual has its advantages.” I sigh as we calm down. 

“You are amazing, I am so glad I met you.” Tina says, pulling herself onto her hands and raising herself so that we can kiss. “So, when do I get my all night sex session?” 

“You already had yours last weekend.” I tease her. “Between Saturday night and Sunday morning we went at it several times.” 

“Oh, we did, didn’t we?” she leans her head on my shoulder. “That was an amazing night.” 

“What I miss are our morning showers.” Leilani says. “We were all too rushed last night to make it really fun.” 

“Wait, what shower last night?” Travis says confused. 

“Didn’t you notice last night that we all smelt like strawberries?” Tina teases. 

“Except for Cassandra. I suggested it to Rose as a joke. I should have guessed you girls were up to something.” He says with a smile. 

“Tina is a wonderful influence in this relationship, she’s always looking for a shot at nookie.” Leilani giggles. 

“So I noticed.” I’ve never gotten so turned on so fast outside of Rose flirting with me.” 

“I can’t help it.” Tina blushes. “Rose is so intoxicating, I feel like I’m always turned on around her.” 

“It is hard to ignore.” Travis sighs. “It only seems to turn off when she’s focused on art or computers.” 

“Then you get enraptured by what she’s doing, so it’s just a different infatuation.” Tina nods, “Like when she’s playing music, you just get lost in her voice and the music and the rest of the world just disappears.” 

“That fascination requires some focus, you know.” I say playing with her hair. 

“What? You do that on purpose!?” Tina says, looking at me.

“Well, you enjoy it, don’t you?” I say with a smile. 

Tina slaps me playfully. “You are incorrigible!” Leaving me to giggle. 

“I don’t really need the music, it just helps.” I smile. 

“Really?” Tina looks at me curiously. 

I turn and look into her eyes. My foot taps to the song building in my mind, and I look at her as I sign ‘Just the Way You Are’. I put the love, the intonation, my face changes as I put the emotion into the song. Tina looks at me enraptured by my voice. 

As I finish singing, Tina’s look at me so lovingly. “Wooow.” She whispers as I kiss her on the nose to break her out of the spell. “How…” 

Travis watches me for a moment. “You’re a real life bard.” He says thoughtfully. “Your bag of everything, the way you can influence people's feelings and emotions, you seem handy at everything… you are a real life D&D bard!” He says in amazement. “It’s what makes you so charismatic and attractive. Your abilities make you the ultimate seductress.” 

“Guilty as charged.” I smile at him lovingly. 

“It’s all makes sense.” He says. “But no one outside of the gaming community would ever believe us.” He says amazed. “They won’t see what we do.” 

“You guys are weird.” Tina giggles. 

“See, Tina is the perfect example, only gamers understand seeing the unseen.” Travis says. “Rose, you must do something else to convince our girlfriend.” 

“Travis, I love you, but I don’t cast spells like we do in game, I’m just really good at influencing people.” I look down at my watch. “We can have this discussion another time, lets get going.” 

Travis slumps his shoulders. “I still think I’m right.” 

We get up and start getting dressed. I grab my backpack and notice the lube is still on the ground. “ _Sairinanampë_ ” I sing in Elvish, and the tube snaps up to my hand. 

“Rose, what did you just do?” Tina says from behind me. _Damn, I didn’t think anyone was watching._

“What?” I say with a disarming smile, tucking the lube in the side pouch. 

“You grabbed that tube from over a meter away, how did you do that?” she says looking at me. 

I sigh. “Okay, it’s a trick I learned to pick up things off the floor when I didn’t want to bend all the way down." 

Travis turns around as he’s putting his shirt on. “What?” 

“Okay. So I might know a trick or two.” I sigh, “I was hoping no one would see that.”

“Do it again.” Tina says amazed. 

I slump my shoulders. “Okay, Travis, you will love this.” I say. I close my eyes, getting the words sorted out in my head and turn it to a song. I sing in Elvish as I focus on my clothing. One by one, my clothing drifts towards me and land at my feet. “I can only do it for light objects.” I say as my lovers look at me in amazement. 

“You know mage hand.” Travis says. “And your eyes were glowing as you cast the spell.” 

“Don’t tell anyone else. I’m enough of a freak as it is.” 

“Honey, you are not a freak, you are special.” Leilani says hugging me tight. “I told you that before.” 

“I love you too, now lets get dressed and forget what you just saw.” I say in a serious tone.” 

“Aren’t you proud of what you can do, honey?” Travis asks as he puts on his shorts. 

“Humans fear magic, did you not learn that in history class? The inquisition, the witch hunts? What do you think people will do to me? All I can do is fun little parlour tricks, I’m not some powerful mage like you see in the game. I can’t hurt anyone with what I can do. I can just mend, heal, and make fun little illusions.” 

“That’s how you treat Trent!” Leilani says. “The cream was just for show. It was your healing hands that actually healed his sunburn.” 

“Well, the cream helps.” I say in my defence. 

“How much of a bruise would Trent have had if you hadn’t healed his back on Thursday?” Travis asks me. 

“He would have been too sore to attend the dance last night.” I say, “No one was supposed to catch on that his back was barely bruised last night.” 

“When did you first know you could do this?” Tina asks as she gets dressed. 

“Well, I’ve always been able to do little things. Mon oncle Maurice is the one that gave me my backpack ten years ago. He taught me simple tricks. It became stronger when I learned Elvish, but it didn’t really become noticeable till I started my transition this summer.” 

I get dressed as my lovers are quiet. They weren’t supposed to learn this bit about me, no one was supposed to. Mon oncle will be so upset now that other’s know what I can do. I debate using the hypnotism song he taught me to make them forget. _No, I trust my loves to not tell anyone else._


	72. A Magical Discovery

We get ourselves all sorted and head back out of the park, it’s easy leaving, we just follow my tire tracks back out, making it an easy route. Once we’re back on the road, Travis pulls up next to me. 

“Rose, are you upset? You’ve been quiet since you told us.” 

“No one was supposed to know I could do that.” I say sadly. “I promised my family that I would keep it secret.” 

“You mean there are others?” Tina says driving on my other side. 

“Half of the family is magically active. Up to 10% of the human population actually has the ability, but most are too weak. Only 1% of the population can actually cast a spell. It follows bloodlines, but not everyone in a family has the same potential. And yes, there is rumour that it’s because of Elven heritage, but nothing in our public history books talks about it.” 

“We know bards and druids throughout Celtic history.” Travis says thoughtfully. “But they held an oral history, nothing is actually written as proof that magic actually existed, it just made wonderful fairy tales.” 

“We like to keep it that way, please, you need to keep that among ourselves.” I say in a worried tone. 

“No one outside of our guild would believe us, and Crystal might get upset.” Leilani says behind me. “I won’t tell anyone.” 

“Wait.” Travis realizes. “Beth doesn’t know about this, does she?” 

“No, not even my brother knows the full potential of my abilities. Though Beth hints we share the same gifts, she doesn’t know it’s magic.” 

“You can’t read minds or stuff like that, can you?” Tina says trying to understand what she’s learning. 

I giggle. “I wish I could read minds.” I smile. “As an Empath, the best I can do is pick up on emotions.” 

“Oh.” She gives me a sidelong glance. “There is so much about you we don’t know. Will I ever really find the whole story about you?” 

“That might not be a good idea, considering some things I’ve been through.” I say. “Some of it is too painful to repeat.” My facial expression changes. “Get in line, traffic’s coming.” 

Travis peddles past me and Tina drops back as a truck passes us, coming from the logging road we just passed. Travis looks back to make sure the road is clear and slows down beside me. 

“What kind of hearing do you have that you can pick up on stuff like that?!” I merely smile and he shakes his head. “Never mind, I don’t think I want to know.” 

I change the topic to Geography, wondering what we’ll be studying once we put our projects in next week. I’ll be at Zoe’s on Monday, Travis will be with Cassandra, and Tina says she’s with Amber on doing theirs.   
“Rose has nearly realistic drawings of the Isles of Sulani.” Travis says. “If I hadn’t seen her draw some of them in class, you would swear they are photographs!” 

"Zoe did most of the writing, I had to fill up all the time the teacher gave us." I grin. 

We get to Leilani’s place just before supper, as promised. Tina gets off her bike, and I watch her mother’s stunned face through the kitchen window as my two girlfriends trade a loving kiss. Leilani then goes to each one of us and gives us a loving kiss as we say goodbyes. Tina puts the seat up and gets on the tandem bike behind me. I wave to her mother as we leave. 

“Did her mother see Leilani give us each a loving kiss?” Tina asks behind me. 

“Yep, going to be an interesting conversation at supper tonight.” I say a bit worried. “I hope they don’t grill her too hard. They already suspect Travis, but kissing you is something new.” 

“I can only imagine my parents’ reaction if they saw me do that…” Tina says voicing my concern. 

We go to Travis’ house next, I can smell his dad is barbecuing something. Tina and I trade loving kisses with Travis, and he rides his bike to the garage. His dad pops his head around the corner of the house and I wave goodbye to him as Tina and I take off. Tina squeals and giggles as I pick up the pace and she guides me to her house. She lives three blocks from Travis and we pull into her driveway. Her mom is working in the garden, and her dad is cleaning the grill, getting ready to start supper. 

“Hmm.. Fresh garden veggies with supper.” Tina says as we get off the bike. 

“Hello dear.” Her mother says wiping the carrots off on her apron. “This is your team captain Rose, right?” 

Tina goes and hugs her mother. “Yes. Can Rose stay for supper?” 

Her father joins us. “I’m Charles, this is Tanya.” He says extending a hand. “So, you finally bring your girlfriend to meet your folks?” He says turning to Tina. 

“Daddy, we haven’t even been dating two weeks yet, it’s not like I was hiding her from you.” Tina says mildly annoyed. She gives him a quick hug before putting her arm around my waist. 

“Thank you for the use of the tandem bike.” I say politely, “It was really handy today.” I smile. 

“Rose can cycle so fast, it was a blast!” Tina giggles as she leans against me.

Her mother looks at me for a moment. “Tall, muscular, and polite. Well, definitely a step up from your last boyfriend.” She teases. 

“Please mom, don’t remind me how bad of a choice Abe was, I’m just glad he no longer lives here.” I quirk an eyebrow, sensing my question. “He graduated last year and went off to college, said he was leaving this sleeping little town and never coming back.” 

“Sounds like a charming guy.” I say with a smirk. 

“And she has a sense of humour, I like her already.” Charles smiles. “Supper will be a bit, you girls put the bike away and get settled. I hope you like ribs.” He says to me. 

“Sounds delicious.” I smile. “I look forward to sampling your wonderful cooking.” 

“She’s such a charmer.” Tina giggles and pushes me forward. 

We put the bike in the shed and then make our way into the house. I put my sweater on so that I’m sitting in more than my sports top. Tina watches my motion as I let the top slide off my left shoulder. 

“Wow, do you wear anything that doesn’t make you sexy?” Tina comments biting her lower lip. 

I giggle. “Cassandra said the same thing when I put this on.” 

“Well, at least I know we have the same tastes.” Tina says as she walks to me, putting her arms gently on my shoulders and giving me a soft, loving kiss. The kiss continues into something more. 

Tom comes into the living room as we’re standing there making out. He was about to say something. I open my eyes as he puts a finger up, and he has trouble trying to find the words, and he just turns around and goes back the way he came. 

“I think your brother had a question for you, but seeing us make out left him speechless.” I say as we finally break our kiss. 

Tina giggles. “I’ll go see what he wants.” 

Tina comes back a moment later, with a guitar in her hands. “He just heard an unfamiliar voice and was being nosy.” She smiles. “I have something for you to play if you want to serenade me.” She says suggestively. 

I smile and she sits down across from me as I play ‘I’m Yours’. She looks at me lovingly as I play. As I finish playing, I can see Tom at the edge of the hall watching me with a smile on his face, and I see her mother leaning against the kitchen entrance. So, seeing as I have an audience, I play the next song that comes to mind. I start ‘Beautiful Soul’. I don’t get to play a third song. Tina gets up, takes the guitar from my hands and pulls me in for a deep passionate kiss. 

“Talented and charming. I can now see how you fell in love with your team captain.” Her mother says breaking us from our embrace. 

Tina blushes and hides herself into my shoulder. “She’s still coming to grips that she’s fallen in love with a girl.” I say putting my arms around my girlfriend. 

“So you two just aren’t dating, it’s serious.” Her mother says surprised. 

“After this weekend, I would say it’s pretty serious.” Tina says snuggling in closer to me. 

“Rose is not just any girl Mom.” Tom says. We suddenly all look at him. “Um. I’ll just.. Be in my room till supper’s ready.” 

“He’s been so quiet, almost shy lately, what’s gotten into that boy?” Tanya says. 

Tina giggles. “Rose intimidates him.” 

“Really?” her mom says amazed and goes back to taking care of supper. 

“Want to see my room?” Tina says playing with my chest. 

“Is it going to get me into trouble?” I say teasingly. 

“I can try to behave.” Tina says playfully. 

“After this afternoon, I find that hard to believe.” I kiss her forehead, leaving her to giggle. 

We get up and walk down the hall, arm around each other. 

“This is no master suite like yours.” She says playfully. “But it’s mine.” 

Her room has a simple double bed facing towards the back of the house. There is a combination dresser and makeup stand at the foot of the bed. She has a computer on a small desk beside the bed on the window side, and a nice sized closet on the wall facing the other bedroom. A nice large window gives a view to the front yard. Her room reminds me of Leilani’s, only less cluttered. 

“Mine and my brother’s bedrooms are on this side of the house. The bathroom is across the hall, and my parent’s bedroom faces the backyard.”

“Reminds me of a slightly larger bungalow than the last house I lived in.” I smile. 

“Yeah, that sounds about right.” Tina smiles. “Do you miss that house?” 

“I miss how close it was to all my friends. I could walk to see most of my friends from there. Now the closest among you is Monique, who’s a still 20 minute drive away.” I say sadly. “Oh, I need to send my family a message that I won’t be home for supper.” I say. 

Tina has me sit on her bed with my back against the headboard, she cuddles into me as I pull out my phone and send Beth a message. 

-= Rose =- Tina asked me to stay with her for supper, I’ll let you know if I need a ride home, but I think her parents will drive me home.

-= Beth =- Okay, we’ll see you later tonight… she’s really fallen for you, hasn’t she?

-= Rose =- Like a giddy little schoolgirl. 

-= Beth =- You are going to be a real heartbreaker. ;o)

-= Rose =- Trying not to be… :-p

I look at the phone and then down at Tina who’s happily cuddled into my chest, using my breast for a pillow. I give her an affectionate kiss on her forehead. 

“I can see why Cassandra loves doing this so much.” Tina sighs happily and squeezes me tight. "Your boobs are so soft yet firm." 

“Not much different from yours.” I say teasingly. 

“I can’t cuddle my chest.” Tina says matter of fact leaving me to giggle. 

“You are so adorably cute.” I smile. 

“Before I met you, I was never this clingy.” She says 

“Really?” I say, surprised. “You’ve been adorably cuddly since you admitted your feelings for me.” 

“You are like this muscular teddy bear, I can’t help myself. I just can’t keep my hands off of you.” 

"I’ve heard that comment before," I say, putting my arm around her and caressing her shoulder. "Your parents seem nice enough." I say fondly. 

“I’m waiting for the question period to pop up during supper.” Tina says. 

“I’ve been through that before.” I sigh. 

“Oh?” she looks up at me. “With who?” 

“Monique’s father, Leilani’s parents, then Travis’ parents, followed by Trent’s” I say naming the parents who have grilled me so far. “In a way, Cassandra’s mom, but it was more casual.” 

“You’re not dating Trent yet.” Tina frowns. 

“Didn’t stop them from treating me like date material. They are going to be so happy when Trent and I finally admit we have a relationship.” 

“Well, you are quite the catch.” She says lovingly. “When will you admit Trent is a boyfriend?” 

“I’d say it’s safe to say that he already is, we just haven’t made it official yet.” I say, playing with Tina’s wavy hair. 

Tina looks up at me. “You’re falling in love with him?” and I nod. “So, you fall in love with us as deeply as we fall in love with you…”

“It’s definitely a mutual feeling.” I smile. “It’s the curse and benefit of being an Empath. I can’t help but respond to the feelings you give to me and return them.” 

“Is that why this has felt so much deeper the longer we spend time together?” She cuddles me more. 

“Yes. The more time we spend together, the stronger the bond will be. It’s come to where Cassandra and I are near inseparable, and it hurts when we are apart.” I say, giving her a squeeze. 

“No offense Rose, but Monique’s right, none of us love you as deeply as she does. You two share an emotional bond that far surpasses what I feel for you.” Tina says. 

“Does that bother you?” I ask her.

Tina shakes her head. “I just want a girlfriend to love and hold, the way you and Cass are going, you’re likely to get married.” 

“It sure does.” I say with a smile. 

Tina suddenly looks up at me. “You want it to happen?” She says amazed. 

“Cassandra is the other half of my soul. I felt it when we met, and it gets stronger the more we spend together. Last night I dreamt of us having a family, married, and attending college. There’s only one thing that bothers me about my dream last night…” I say with a frown.

“What?” Tina asks. 

“You weren’t in it.” I say with a worried tone. 

“Rose, I’m likely to end up in pro sports. Our paths weren’t meant to continue past high school.” Tina says cuddling into me. 

“After what you told me this afternoon, doesn’t that bother you?” I say concerned. 

“I want what time we have together to matter. Where we go after we leave high school is for fate to decide.” Tina says confidently. 

“You don’t have visions of controlling your future?” I say now interested. 

“I can hope for things, but to be set on one course and ignore my options would be foolish. No, I believe I have a purpose, and I just need to discover it.” She says with a smile.

“That’s so contrary to the ‘you make your destiny’ mentality they raised me with in sports.” I smile. 

“I almost fell for that trap myself. When my family moved here, it made me re-examine my life’s expectations. Just like, even though I thought my parents couldn’t afford soccer this year, something told me to show up, anyway. Had I not left it to fate, I wouldn’t have met you.” She smiles. “So I will let my intuition follow fate where it will lead me.” 

“And you call me a romantic.” I smile lovingly and kiss her forehead. 

There is a knock on the door and her mother tells us to wash up for supper. We wait till Tom is done washing up and then wash up together. 


	73. Supper with the Sommers

We sit down; they place an extra chair beside Tina for me, so that we can sit beside each other. It’s cozy so I make a point of sitting on my girlfriend’s left so that I can use my left hand to do things. 

“So, Rose…” Charles starts. “Why haven’t we seen you around Willow Creek before this year?” 

“I’m originally from San Myshuno, I spent the summer with my brother up in Britechester before moving down here for school. My sister-in-law Beth thought it would be a better place to live - seeing as Willow Creek is so nice and friendly.” I smile. 

“Where are you from?” Charles asks. 

"East-End Suburbs, but my mother’s family originates from the North region." 

“Interesting combination or country and city life. So where do you live here?” Tanya asks. 

“I live with Beth’s family at Winslow Manor, they’ve become my adoptive family.” I smile. 

“Where are your parents?” Charles asks. 

“Still in San Myshuno.” I say munching on a rib. I wipe my face. “My father and I are not on speaking terms because I am a transgender girl.” I will not hide who I am anymore. I can feel Tina tense up beside me. She wasn’t expecting me to be so forward. “My brother took over as my legal guardian, extending that guardianship to his in-laws.” 

“I see.” Charles says. 

“I’m sorry that I came out so abruptly about who I am.” I continue. “I made the mistake with other parents, trying to dodge that question, only for it to become awkward later. I’ve learned to no longer hide who I am.” 

“So, that explains more why Tina is dating a girl for the first time.” Tanya smiles. “You’re more than any other girl in school.” 

The way she said I’m more than a girl tells me her parents are accepting. I smile and relax, Tina feels my mood shift and relaxes as well. 

“Outside of my soccer team and my close friends, no one else knows. I’m just like any other girl at school.” I smile. 

“You’re not just like any other girl at school.” Tom says, finding his voice. 

“True. Because of my past physical regiment, even with my hormones, I’m still stronger than most boys in school.” I smile across at Tom. “Some find me intimidating, others find my strong feminine nature attractive. Regardless, because I’m a national silver medallist, I excel in this town’s sports and I’m the fastest girl in school.” 

“Even with your hormones?” Charles asks curiously. 

“I started hormone replacement therapy early.” I start. “The process suppresses testosterone and adds more estrogen than my body produces naturally. It pushes the body into a more feminine form. Women naturally have less muscle mass than men, so I’ll only have 1/3 of my original muscle mass by this summer. It also shifts muscle groups, fat deposits, skin and metabolism to that of a girl’s. Though I’m very muscular, I’m fairly certain that Tina here has more testosterone than I do at this point.” She leans against me lovingly. 

"So that’s why you look, sound and smell like a girl, despite not having been born one?" Charles queries and I nod. 

“So dating Rose is like having a girlfriend and a boyfriend at the same time?” Tanya looks at her daughter. 

“Rose is so tall, strong and protective, yet so feminine, soft and affectionate.” Tina says looking at me lovingly. “She literally is the best of both.” 

“Protective?” Charles raises an eyebrow. 

“No one messes with Rose.” Tom comments. “The few of us who have tested her patience discovered she has a quick, efficient temper, and will always be the one that walks away from an argument.” 

“Rose, you didn’t…” Tanya says. 

“Yes.” I look down. “Tom lost his temper, and I tried to limit how much I hurt him. I’m really sorry.” I say apologetically. 

“So that’s why Tom’s been acting so different recently.” Tanya looks at her son. “You finally found a match to that temper of yours.” 

“I’m no match for Rose.” Tom says worried, glancing at me. “She’s easily twice my strength, her lean muscular form is deceptive.” 

“Do you lose your temper often?” Charles says worried. 

“Only when I am protecting those I love.” I say without hesitation. 

“Rose is a big mama bear. She’s soft, affectionate, loving and will always keep me safe.” Tina says putting her arm around mine. “I’ve never felt safer in someone’s arms as I do with her.” 

“So how are you in school, Rose?” Tanya inquires. 

“I’m on average a B+ student, I would be better but my ADD makes it hard for some subjects.” I reply. 

“So, athletic, smart..” Her dad starts.

“Romantic, artistic, musically inclined… everyone loves Rose.” Tina smiles at me affectionately.

“Her talents with the guitar are definitely noteworthy,” Tanya smiles. 

“Aren’t you worried about being teased dating a girl in school?” Charles asks, concerned. 

“Willow Creek is has a queer friendly policy.” I say confidently. “No one’s challenged our affections in school.” 

“Which is why your sister Beth thought that Willow Creek would be better suited for you. Even though you’re now a girl, you’re still mostly attracted to girls.” Tanya says. 

“Mostly yes, I have a boyfriend, it’s difficult telling guys who I am, it’s safer having girlfriends.” I agree with her. 

“You mean you’ve had a boyfriend.” Charles says, “And that you’re now dating Tina.” 

“Oh, no, I have a boyfriend.” I say correcting him. 

“Rose is poly amorous, she dates more than me daddy.” Tina says. She reaches into her phone, taking out a picture that someone took of us at the dance. “See, this is our relationship.” 

Her father looks at the picture than hands it to his wife, unhappy. “Does it not bother you that Rose as 2 other girlfriends, and a boyfriend?” 

“I was wondering who gave her that lovely pantsuit last night. Rose spoils you all so much.” Tanya says noting all of our outfits follow the same coloured gothic theme.

“Rose makes each of us feel special in our own way. There are no arguments, no jealousy, no competition between the 5 of us. We just love each other.” Tina says happily. 

“You love each other?” Charles says a bit surprised. 

“Well, when you spend the time together the way we do, you sort of develop feelings for the others in the relationship. Travis is such a sweetheart. He’s the most adorably sexy geek in school. Leilani is this funny little goofball, Cassandra is always looking at the bigger picture..” Tina says lovingly. 

Charles frowns. “I’m not sure I like where this is going, young lady.” 

“Daddy, we all date Rose, she is the one who holds us together. I just, sort of like the others too.” She shrugs. “It works.”

“Are you sexually active with all these people?” Tanya says catching on. 

“Come on mom, who do you take me for?” Tina retorts.

Her parents relax, there’s no need to tell them more than they think what’s going on. 

“Wait, when you stayed over a Rose’s place last weekend…” her mother starts. 

Tina sighs. “Yes mom, I slept with Rose, she is the most amazing person I’ve ever been with. She actually cares what I think and how I feel. If I knew I could get a decent, loving relationship with a girl, I would have found someone like Rose a long time ago.” 

“Too bad I wasn’t here before then.” I say teasingly, causing Tina to giggle and kiss me. 

“You two are definitely more than just dating.” Tanya says watching her daughter’s reactions. “I’ve never seen Tina so affectionate and cuddly before.” 

“Rose is so amazing, mom. Please don’t be upset that our relationship is unusual, it works with us, and I love her dearly.” Tina says leaning against me. 

Her mother cuts into her meal. “Well, I’ve never seen you happier than you’ve been this year. Even before you two started dating, ever since you started playing soccer, you have been so happy.” 

“I understand we have you to thank for that as well, Rose.” Charles says. “Tina said her gear fees were paid for, without asking for any help.” 

“Yes, there was just something about Tina when we were performing in trials. I couldn’t let her walk away, so I paid for her gear this year. I never realized how that simple gesture of kindness would change our lives.” I smile at my girl lovingly. 

“Okay, I can see how dating a romantic is so attractive.” Her mother says lovingly, watching us interact. I look at her and blush. 

“Rose’s family owns Simmons bakery and the café next door.” Tina says. “She works at the café every morning, and in the bakery from time to time.”

“You are a hard-working individual.” Charles prides my dedication to work, school and our relationship. 

“Not to mention the Simmon’s are about the richest family in Willow Creek.” Tom says. “It’s how Rose had funds for the outfits, the suppers twice a week…” 

“Someone’s been nosy.” I tease and he suddenly looks at me, worried. “I’m not upset, Tom.” And he relaxes.

“As Tom implies, yes, I probably don’t need to work. My working at the café was to help me feel more comfortable as a girl in public - as I only started my transition in May. It’s only two hours a day, so it’s nice to meet people and help contribute to my family’s business.” 

“You look that feminine in only 6 months?” Tanya says surprised. 

I blush. “Well, despite my strength, I was never a very masculine person. My hormone levels were androgynous at the start of my transition - meaning I already had a higher than normal estrogen level than a typical boy my age. It sort of gave me a head start, making me look as feminine in half a year as most trans-girls take a year to two to reach.” 

“Amazing.” Charles says. “I read that in my medical training. You were never really male to begin with, just a girl in the wrong body.” 

“Basically, yes.” I say. 

“We had to take sensitivity training as part of emergency first aid. So, that if I came across someone like yourself, I wouldn’t missgender you - despite the ‘M’ that is probably still on your ID.” He says and I find a new appreciation for Tina’s family. 

“Yes, I still have an ‘M’ on my medical records. Until I can have surgeries, that will remain there.” I say slightly annoyed.

“Wait, you still have…” Tanya catches on, she suspected, but my confirming that I still have my penis catches her off guard. 

“Better than anyone that I’ve ever been with.” Tina sighs dreamily. 

“Did you know?” Her mother asks Tom. 

“It sort of slipped out at supper time that Rose still has something down there, and - according to her girlfriends - it’s bigger than most guys.” Tom says candidly, munching on supper. 

“And you have a boyfriend?” Tanya looks at me, surprised. 

“My boyfriend Travis and I share a straight relationship. I’m his girlfriend and he treats me like a girl, it’s very comforting.” I smile. 

“Well, she has girlfriends that can take care of what he doesn’t” Tom says getting very casual now that he feels more comfortable that I won’t beat him up. 

“Tom!” his mother says, shocked. 

“I can’t be upset with him.” I say munching on some veggies. “I’ve admitted as much, he’s just echoing my comment from supper the other day.” 

He gives a cheeky grin. 

“You are a complicated young lady.” Charles says as he peels the meat off his rib. “But you make our darling daughter happy - happier than I’ve seen her since we moved here three years ago, so… thank you.” 

“Which is why you are selective of how many boys know you are transgender.” Tanya says. “I can see how that would make most guys uncomfortable.” She looks at her son. 

“Don’t look at me, she’s not my type.” Tom says munching on supper. 

“No, you prefer the pretty little cheerleader type, and she even took that from you.” Tina teases her brother. 

“I still don’t know what Monique sees in her, but it’s clear I can't compete with Rose for her affections.” 

“Rose treats all of her loves like they are the most important person on the planet. No, you can’t compete with that.” Tina pokes at him. 

“Archie Andrews.” Her dad suddenly says. “You are a living female redhead of the comic book Casanova.” Charles says. “You’re a varsity athlete musician that everyone loves with more than one girlfriend.” 

“Only I don’t have a jalopy to drive.” I giggle. My comment causes the table to laugh along with me. 

This seems to break the tension at the table. Tina’s dad really appreciates my off-the-cuff sense of humour. As we talk, he notices I look on the light, positive side of things. 

“So, you’re living here cause the life you left behind in the city was hard on you?” he comments. 

“Yes.” I say with a grim smile. 

“And yet you still have this positive outlook on life. How do you manage it? You obviously are not naïve….” He queries. 

“Sarcastic Optimism.” I grin. “I may not always something positive, but I’ll say it positively if it’ll sound funny that way.” 

Her mother is munching on a rib thoughtfully. “Some of your actions show you are still very much a young girl discovering life, yet comments like that show that you are much more mature for your age.” 

“My sister has made that comment.” I say as I pick up some potatoes. “She says she’s never sure which side of me she’ll see.” 

“You are also left handed, but you played the guitar right sided.” Her mother comments. 

“It’s how I learned to play.” I shrug. “I’m actually ambidextrous, so I can pick up anything and adapt it as needed.” 

“That is a rare gift.” Charles smiles. “I missed your guitar playing earlier, care to play again after the meal?” he asks curiously. 

“Sure. I love playing.” I smile. 

After supper, I take up the guitar again and play ‘Be Like That’ for Tina and her family. 

“And you play that well without sheet music.” Charles says in amazement. 

“My learning councillor said I have a visual memory. So sounds, images, and physical things are easier for me to retain than hard facts like names and numbers. It takes a lot of work for some subjects.” 

“How so.” Her mom gets curious. 

“Well, when I meet someone, I am more likely to remember what they look like, how they sound, what they wore, and even the surrounding smells. But if I don’t meet them often, I’m likely to forget their name - while the rest will be still a permanent memory.” 

“Interesting.” Her mom smiles. “So you do more homework to compensate.” 

“For some subjects, yes, I have to.” I reply. 

“When do you have time for homework?” Tina teases the fact that I’m always on the go. 

“I usually only have the hour or two in the morning before school, when I got to Leilani’s place.” I turn to address the family. “When I first moved to Willow Creek, I lived in town. My neighbour was Leilani, the dark-skinned girl in the photo you saw. Because I work downtown, it’s easier for me to walk to her house, and then walk with my girlfriends in the morning to school, instead of going all the way back home.”

Her father shakes his head. “When you say girlfriends, that’s not a figurative term, you are dating them.” 

“I am.” I nod. “I know this is strange to you I date more than one person.” Tina reaches out to me and I move the guitar so that she can snuggle into my lap. “Each person I love fills a different need.” I say putting my arms around Tina. “Tina is energetic, fun and maybe a little aggressive.” 

Tina blushes. “Okay, maybe a little, you don’t seem to mind.” She smiles and kisses my cheek. “I’m also the only one who can come close to keep up with her. Rose’s energy and stamina are incredible, but when she hits an adrenaline surge…” 

“She moves faster than you can ever imagine.” Tom finishes for her. “I’ve never seen someone move so fast in my life.” 

“Really?” Charles sounds interested. “Can you show us?”   
I look around the room. “Not in here, I don’t have enough room without hurting someone or breaking something.” 

“Outside then.” He smiles. 

“Tom?” I venture, and he gives me a worried look. “I won’t hurt you.” And he relaxes and nods. 


	74. After Supper Saturday

We go outside and I offer we do the standing arm wrestle again. So we put our feet together and lock arms and I tell him to pull. I bend my knee a bit as I feel him pull with all of his strength. He still can’t move me, I can see his face get red with the effort of trying to pull me towards him. The only thing he’s achieving is that my bicep is flexed, and my actual arm strength is visible. 

I wait till I can feel him a pull too far back, then step forward, putting him off balance, allowing me to twist, get under him, and with my body push him off his feet and over my head. So as not to have him land so hard, my training kicks in, and I hold his arm, grabbing the other, pulling him into a figure ten throw, where he just rolls under me instead of being thrown. 

“Wow.” Charles says. 

“First dan black belt, mixed martial arts, centreing on Aikido.” I say as I hold out my hand to help Tom up.

Once he’s standing, he tries to punch at me. I dodge, capture his wrist, grab his elbow and put his arm behind his back in a pinned position. 

“See Dad, she’s too fast to catch off guard, with the fact she’s twice my strength there’s nothing I could do to hurt Rose.” Tom says as I let him go and he rolls his shoulder. 

He comes at me again; I deflect his right, deflect his left, then grab his wrist, and pull myself forward, stopping before I connect with a flat palm punch to his chest. Tom gasps. 

“Had I continued with my thrusts, that would have pushed the wind out of your lungs, and possibly crack a rib or two.” I say calmly. 

Tina is behind Tom, watching us. “It’s okay Tom, her eyes are still jade, she’s just sparing with you.” 

“That matters?” Charles asks confused. 

“When Rose loses her temper, the colour drains from her eyes, and her adrenaline kicks in. She would hurt Tom, but only so much as to knock him out.” Tina says. 

“The goals of Aikido are to use your entire body to defend yourself and disable your foe with minimum injury to both.” I start. “It teaches flexibility and endurance with less emphasis on strength. I actually don’t need to be stronger than Tom to take him down, it just helps. It’s why my muscle mass is so lean. Aikido is like Yoga, it helps stretch the body, and lengthen the muscles. My swim coach wanted me strong, but still lean and agile enough to reduce drag while swimming.” 

“Amazing.” Tanya says. “How long did it take you to reach what you can do?” 

“Three years.” I say. 

“I’d love to learn half of what you can do.” Tom says with a smile. My moves so far haven’t really hurt him, so he trusts his sister when she says I’m just sparing.

“The purpose of my teachings was to use my opponent’s strength and momentum against them. When you punch, I aim at your wrist to push the lunge away from me. Leaving your front open for me to then attack at weak points.” I say. I motion for him to come closer. “The weak points in a human body are the neck, wrist, elbow, chest, and kidneys.” I say showing him grabs and punches I use. “You actually have more force in a punch using the heel of your palm than you do a fist. So if you strike someone here,” I show him the pressure point on his chest. “Or here.” I spin and show him the weak point for a kidney shot. “You take your opponent down with minimal energy.” 

“Huh…” Tom says impressed. 

“Aikido is a combination of chops, punches and throws. My sensei also taught Taekwondo to those of us who wanted to use kicking and more crippling attacks.” I put his hand up to head level. “Keep your hand here and try to catch my foot.” 

I start off with a distance, holding back my full kick, and start kicking at his hand. Try as he might, my foot motions are still faster than his reflexes. When he sees me spin for a roundhouse, he puts his hand down. 

“Smart move.” I smile. “That one might have hurt.” I wink. 

Tom chuckles. “I’m understanding you better, still never want to see you angry again.” 

“Fair enough.” I smile and he relaxes, Tina comes up to me and I put my arm out as she comes in for a hug.

“This is why I feel so safe in her arms. She would never let anyone hurt me.” She snuggles into me. 

“Are you not afraid of what she can do?” Charles says worried. 

“I could never harm someone I love.” I say looking over to him. “I made that promise to myself to never be like my father.”

Tanya catches on to the nuance in her comment. "Oh dear, I’m sorry you had to live with an abusive parent." 

I take a deep breath and stop myself before opening up a painful memory. Tina watches my reaction and gives me a squeeze. “Thanks.” I say with a sad smile. 

“Tina didn’t want you to say something...” Tanya watches her daughter. 

“Some of Rose’s memories are painful. It’s best not to open one. It takes a while for her to calm down, and I don’t like seeing her upset.” Tina says in a worried tone. She caresses my cheek lovingly and leans into me. 

“You really love each other dearly.” Tanya says watching her daughter’s motions. “I’ve never seen Tina so caring and affectionate with her past relationships.” 

“Rose is so amazing.” Tina says and holds me close. “I’ve never felt anything close to how much I love her.” 

“I’m happy for you two.” Tanya smiles. 

Charles looks at his watch. “It’s getting late, how are you getting home, Rose?” 

“Can we drive Rose home, Daddy?” Tina asks before I can say anything. 

“Sure thing, Pumpkin.” He smiles. “Get your stuff and lets go.” 

We get into the car with her parents up front and us in the back. Tina snuggles as much as our seatbelts allow. 

“So.. Coast Guard.” I say, trying to make conversation. 

“Yes, we came down here after Hurricane Andrew to help with the rescue and relief effort. After that, Tanya fell in love with the south gulf coast and wanted to stay.” Charles smiles. “The kids weren’t impressed at the beginning. Particularly Tom, he left a lot of friends behind.”

“I sort of managed well enough. Getting involved with sports helped build a few friendships.” Tina says. “But I was never really close to any of them.” 

“And then this year, Tom tells us she’s hanging around with her own crowd, and how you are all really close.” 

“Rose is the glue that binds us together.” Tina smiles. “She's gathered a mixed group of jocks and geeks and we all get along, most of the group is dating one another.” 

“It seems that my computer club were looking for more aggressive and athletic girlfriends.” I giggle. “When the girls discovered there was a group of soft, romantic boys who treat them like angels. It just made for almost instant relationships.” 

“The only single boy was Tim, and Rose set him up with this girl in her art class, and they got really cuddly by the end of the dance. I give it another month till the rest of the girls on the team have a relationship.” Tina says. 

“You encourage relationships?…” Charles asks. 

“It’s lonely going through school without someone to hold.” I say sadly. “Before my transition, I was the opposite of what you’ve seen today. I was disconnected, withdrawn, angry and pretty-antisocial. It led to a depression I never want to experience again.” 

“Which is why you started your transition so early.” Tina finally catches on to the last piece that pushed my development. 

“Yes. When I found that, I could finally be me. I shed all the layers of pain and doubt.” I say. “I discovered a support group who finally cared how I felt, and for the first time in my life no longer felt alone.” My eyes well up at the happy memory. “Since then I’ve found happiness, so I now dedicate my time trying to find ways to make others happy, and show them that there is caring and love in the world.” 

“So you share your heart freely.” Tanya says from the passenger side. “So that you can share your happiness with those who may not. Why your computer club though?” 

“Rose is as much a geek as she is naturally charismatic. She just seems to attract people.” Tina smiles. “I’ve never seen a team so immediately accept a new team captain and follow her without question.” 

“Is it because Rose demands nothing of you?” Charles asks. 

“Rose’s only goal for our team is for us to work together and have fun. Teamwork is more important than winning. Soon as we struggle, she changes her technique, like she can sense what we are all feeling.” Tina says in wonder. 

“The term is Empath.” I say. “When you find a connection to body and mind, you can feel when others around you are out of rhythm. I just work with what I feel to find a new balance so that we can all be happy.”   
“So that’s how you always know when one of us is upset or struggling?” Tina says, looking at me with wonder. “It’s part of that bardic ability you spoke about today?”

“Bardic ability?” Tanya inquires.

I smile. “My brother calls me a modern-day bard. Leaning on the old world traditions and combined with what we know in role-playing games. I’m a naturally charismatic person who has a knack for influencing emotions. Between my musical talents, art, and the variety of things I’ve learned, I’m a jack-of-all-trades being able to do just about anything. This allows me to connect with almost anyone.” 

“Amazing.” Tanya says. 

“I just want to help people be happy.” I smile. 

“I would hate to see if you were ever to use that talent for something selfish…” Charles says.

“I could never be that cruel or selfish.” I say thoughtfully. 

As we’re approaching the drive, I point out where to turn off. To say that Tina’s parents are impressed with the manor house is an understatement. 

“Mom, can I stay with Rose tonight?” Tina suddenly pops on them, she even surprises me with her request. 

“I don’t think Rose’s family would appreciate that request at the last minute…” Tanya starts. 

“There is plenty of room in Rose’s suite, and I won’t be a bother, I promise.” Tina pleads. 

“Suite?” Charles asks as he pulls up beside Beth’s SUV.

“My bedroom is the size of a one-bedroom apartment.” I say. “Our time together today, I can understand why Tina doesn’t want to leave my side just yet.” I poke her on the nose and she giggles. “I am spending tomorrow with the Goth’s for HarvestFest, I would have her home before lunch if you say yes.” 

Her parents look at each other, then back at us, and the pleading look on my lover’s face is really hard to resist.

“Okay.” Charles says at last. “But you behave and mind your manners, or this is the last time we let you spend a night with Rose again.” 

“Oh, thank you!” Tina says excitedly. She releases her seatbelt and gives her parents a kiss on their cheeks.

“We’ll see you tomorrow morning.” I smile as I undo my seatbelt and open the car door. 

“See you tomorrow.” Tanya smiles at her daughter’s exuberance. 

We get out of the car and walk arms around each other up to the door. Barnes, being ever vigilant, lets us in and I thank him. They must have a camera system for them to know a car is coming up the drive…

We’re quiet till we reach my room. “You are incorrigible.” I say bumping her hip. “I thought you would have had enough loving this afternoon.” I tease. 

“It’s not just for the sex Rose.” Tina says in a serious tone. “Like Cassandra, I have the most peaceful and comfortable sleep I’ve ever had in your arms.” 

I put my bag down and stop, pulling her around so that she’s in front of me. “Really?” I look into those lovely hazel eyes. 

Tina nods. “Before I met you, I used to get nightmares. It would wake me in the middle of the night, or make it hard to get rest. Since I met you they come less frequently, when you hold me at night, I never have them at all, in fact I have the most beautiful dreams imaginable.” 

“You had a nightmare last night?” I catch on. 

Tina nods. “Even after the time we spent at the dance, the bad dreams still came. I don’t want another sleepless night.” 

“Okay.” I say tenderly, lean down and give her a loving kiss. We stand there for a moment lingering on a long loving kiss. 

“I love you so much.” Tina whispers, leaning against my shoulder. “I never imagined our relationship would get this serious.” 

“Not just a fun time in bed?” I say teasingly. 

“Rose, you were never just a fun time in bed. I know our relationship started out as a sexual one, but I’ve always had feelings for you.” 

“You wouldn’t have been able to get me thought that meltdown on the bus if you didn’t,” I smile. 

“You knew?” Tina says looking up at me. 

“I was serious when I told you how you are joy and energy, wrapped in a ribbon of caring.” I smile lovingly, bringing my hand up and running a finger through her hair above her ear. “I just never knew that our connection would become this deep.” 

“You are amazing.” She says and pulls me down for another kiss. 

“Now, there are some things I need to do before we can continue to cuddle. I have pictures to post, and I haven’t spoken with my support group in days.” 

“Okay.” Tina says and lets me go. 

“Grab one of the rocking chairs and you can sit beside me while I work.” I suggest. 

I head over to the computer while Tina grabs the closest chair. I put on some music as I pick up the SD card with last night’s pictures on it. Tina and I go through the pictures that Mom took and I create an album on my personal page. We add our own pictures to the collection, leaving editing to my circle to add their own. I trust my relationship enough to not do something untoward.

I go over to my fan page, noticing that Brittany had already started an album for the event. I’m surprised that she’s left me as co-author to the fan site. She sent me an e-mail with the username and password, so I log in and we add our photos to the collection. There are already comments on the page of how we all look so amazing. A few comments asking for fashion tips. 

“Wow, you have quite the fan base.” Tina says leaning on my shoulder. 

“I never expected this when I moved here this year.” I smile. “But there are so few negative comments, it’s comforting.” 

I can see there is an album for every single outing people see me at: my soccer games, the boys' soccer games. There are even videos of our half-time shows. There are several pictures of our outing at the beach, including shots of us in the water, my carrying Tina, us sharing ice cream. The dance shows our before shots and photos of us dancing, slow dances, Cassandra & I being crowned, and our dance together... There’s also an album titled ‘Rose at School’ showing pictures of me with various people, our corner group at lunch, shots from the gym. The time I played guitar in the GSA, the picture is from outside, through the door. Each time I’ve tended to Trent when he was hurt or sunburnt. There’s even a picture of me tending Tori from this week in gym class. 

“I wonder how she got this one..” I say as I read comments of how I’m always caring for people. “There’s someone in our grade who’s giving her pictures.” 

While some photos show my other friends and lovers, I’m almost always the centre of the picture. 

“I think Brittany has a crush on you.” Tina says mirroring my thoughts. 

“She’s not really my type.” I comment. 

“Since when do you have a ‘type’?," Tina teases me, "Each one of us is so different from one another."

“She’s talkative, I can’t have someone like her know I’m transgender before I’m ready to tell others myself.” I back up my statement. 

“Ah.. You don’t like gossipers, you want someone you can trust.” She says catching on.

“Exactly.” I smile. 

Tina picks up her phone where she left it on the desk and starts adding comments of her own to the fan page. 

“You’re just as bad as they are.” I say teasingly. 

“I have a right to be, you’re my girlfriend.” She says playfully.

“You are adorable. I’m so glad you asked to be my girlfriend..” I turn to her a smile. 


	75. Evening Chat Session

My computer pings personal messages, as people on my personal page react to the album I just posted. It starts with my support group, comments from my brother, Beth, other family members. I watch as Travis and Cassandra add photos of their own. Finally, my mom pops up with a private message. 

-= Claire M. =- Rose, the latest pictures from the beach and the dance… you have some very close friends. 

-= Rose =- My friends are so adorable, aren’t they great!?

-= Claire M. =- Are you dating any of them, I seem to recall David saying it surprised him you have a boyfriend now.

-= Rose =- Travis is the blond that I’m usually cuddled into. We’ve been dating for over a month now, he’s so charming and sweet, I hope you get to meet him some day.

-= Claire M. =- I thought you had a girlfriend?…

-= Rose =- This might be hard to take in, but I have 3 girlfriends, Mom. 

-= Claire M. =- You are just as bad as ton oncle Claude! Ça’ce peux-tu! How is it you went for dating no one to having 4 relationships?!

-= Rose =- Apparently becoming a girl has made me attractively charming, and I have trouble saying no. I’m popular in school, and doing really well in sports, now that I’m playing them on my terms. 

-= Claire M. =- I am so proud of you ma belle, I was so worried about you when David took you away. I see you are blooming into a beautiful, competent woman. I can see in the pictures why people find you so attractive.

-= Rose =- Merci maman, I miss you so much; I hope to see you this summer.

-= Claire M. =- You will be in the city this summer?

-= Rose =- Yes, for Pride. We’ll have to find a way to see each other. 

-= Claire M. =- So you are not coming home for WinterFest. :o(

-= Rose =- I’m sorry Maman, it’s too soon, I can’t be around, father. I hope you understand. 

-= Claire M. =- Yes, we received the papers, your father was not happy about them. It didn’t remove us as your family, just removed our legal right to care and guardianship. 

-= Rose =- I don’t recall Dave going through with issuing those papers…

-= Claire M. =- No, but the Simmons have, you are legally their child now till you reach 21.

“Oh, my gosh!” I say reading my mother's comments. 

“Beth’s parents have legally made you their daughter?” Tina says just as surprised. “Did they tell you they were going to do this?” 

“No.” I say stunned, “But it explains why they want me to call them Mom & Dad.” 

-= Rose =- Maman, please believe me when I say I never asked them to do this.

-= Claire M. =- They seem to care for you deeply, mon choux, it’s okay, they have still left me with the right to call you my daughter. :o)

-= Rose =- Thank you for not being upset, je vous aimes tellement!

-= Claire M. =- I figured it wasn’t your idea. It surprised even Dave when we told him. I know they will take good care of you; I am happy that you are now in a loving family.

A tear rolls down my cheek. 

-= Rose =- Maman, you are my loving family. 

-= Claire M. =- You needed more than just me, ma belle, I am not upset; I am very happy for you. It’s late, get some rest, we’ll talk more later. :hugs:

-= Rose =- :hugs: :kisses: Love you so much, I’ll find a way to see you sooner. Bye.

I can see my mom’s profile go grey, showing she’s now offline. I sit there staring at the screen. 

“Beth’s parents have legally adopted me to protect me from my father.” I say staring at the screen stunned.  
I’m broken by my reverie as I get a video call request. It’s Jane. I look at Tina and she nods, so I accept.   
Jane’s face appears on my screen.

"There is our lovely southern bell, the pictures from the dance are outstanding, however did you afford that clothing on your barista salary?"

I see others logging in as I respond: Sam, Diane, Winnie, Lisa, Tony, and Carla. 

“Well, I might as well tell you now that you are all here. I found out from Maman tonight that Beth’s family has legally adopted me as their daughter. My birth parents can still call me their child, but have no legal rights to decide my care. I’m still in shock.” 

“No way!” Winnie says. “So, should we be calling you a Simmons now?” I see her wink.

“No, it hasn’t changed my last name.” I smile at her silliness. "But it makes so much sense as to how they have been treating me lately." 

“They had gotten confirmation from their lawyer that the papers were approved and your folks were being served.” Jane says. 

“Who’s the girl beside you?” Diane asks. 

“I guess it’s fitting that you meet at least one of my relationships face to face. Dee, this is my girlfriend Tina." 

“Hi friends of Rose.” Tina says a bit timidly. 

“That’s the first non-raven-haired girl she’s dating.” Tony says. “I've been thinking she had a preference.” 

I blush. “I’d never noticed that…” 

“You, the artist, didn’t pick up that all your girls had black hair?” Sam says surprised. 

“Wait, she knows you’re a trans girl, right?” Lisa says, suddenly concerned. 

“Considering we’ve slept together, the answer would be yes.” Tina says, finding her voice. 

“Which is why she had no problem with including Tina in this conference, Rose has probably told her all about us.” Jane says. 

“She’s told me a fair bit.” Tina smiles. “I hope to meet some of you in person some day.”

“Oh, she’s a keeper then?” Tony inquires. 

“At least till graduation.” Tina says, pulling my chin to her and giving me a kiss. 

“You two look so cute together…” Lisa smiles. I see a movement in the back in the room. 

“Tell Jun I say Hi!” I smile, knowing who’s in the background. 

“Rose, she’s your soccer teammate, right, that picture you sent us of your team?” Jane probes.

“Yes, Jane, you called it when you wondered how long it would be till we would be dating.” I smile. 

“Almost two weeks now.” Tina says leaning on my shoulder. 

“She’s keeping track.” I smile, making Tina giggle. 

“So that makes 3 girlfriends now?” Winnie asks. 

“Well, technically four…” I say,say, trying to find the words. 

“I don’t see a fourth girlfriend in any of your pictures.” Jane says, looking away from the camera. 

“Rose as taken Monique back, dating her on the side, as we don’t trust her in the relationship yet.” Tina says. 

“Is that what you call your little poly circle luv?” Jane smiles. 

Jun pops onto the screen beside Lisa. “Rose, call my brother, he thinks you’re avoiding him.” I slump my shoulders. Lee has become a lovesick teenager with me. “What did you do to him? I’ve never seen my brother so fixated on one person before.” Jun says with a frown. 

“Rose has that effect on people.” Tina giggles. 

“Tell me about it.” Dee says dreamily. 

“It’s not just that she’s better hung than most guys, she’s got amazing stamina.” Tina volunteers. 

“How many times did you and Lee go at it that night?” Jun inquires. “You were still making noise when this hot fox here drained me.” Lisa blushes at his comment.

“Hmm.. Seven times, if you count the two of us together..” I blush. 

“Okay Dee, I really forgive you now, I don’t think I could ever match Rose in bed.” Tony’s eyes grow wide. 

“And this is how you keep 3 girls and a boy happy.” Winnie says amazed. 

“This afternoon was amazing.” Tina says wrapping her arms around me. 

“Is that why she came home with you?” Jane teases. “What did you do that you now to have a permanent puppy hanging off of you?” 

“There was.. Hmm.. 4 of us skinny dipping in secluded waterfall grove.” I start. “After the dance last night, it didn’t take long for this minx to look of nookie.” 

“Travis comes in a good second to my lovely redhead here.” Tina says fondly. 

“So that’s why you call it a relationship. You’re all intimately involved with each other.” Jane says mildly surprised. “I thought I was good at keeping 3 boyfriends, but you have me beat girl.”

“Well, it didn’t start out that way.” I say blushing. “First Travis, Leilani, and I started doing threesomes. Tina here has a high libido and didn’t hesitate in making it four.”

“Best sex I’ve had in years. Who was I to pass it up?” Tina says with a grin. 

“I guess if it works for you all.” Tony says pondering. 

“We’re more honest with each other.” I tell him. “So things like what happened between Dee, me, and you don’t happen again.” 

Dee blushes and looks a little guilty. 

“I’ve forgiven her for what happened, Rose, because you’re right. I’m here for her all the time, and you just drift in and out of our lives.” Tony replies. 

“At least for the next couple of years before I get to university.” I nod. 

“You’re still coming up for a full week at winter break, right?” Dee suddenly gets worried. 

“Of course I am my love. I want to enjoy some winter before I come back to this hotbox.” 

“Yes, it’s pretty hot and dry here during the winter.” Tina replies. “The worst month for rain is June. Might be a good time to get out-of-town then.” She finishes suggestively. 

“I hadn’t approached on Pride yet, honey.” I poke her tickle spot and she giggles. “If we’re lucky, we’ll be done exams the first week of June and we’ll have the rest of the month to ourselves.” 

“Where are you heading for Pride?” Jane asks. 

“Hoping that the Britechester and San Myshuno celebrations are on different weeks so I can enjoy both.” I reply. 

“We’ll keep an eye on the dates then.” Jane nods. 

“Are you going to bring the others in your relationship with you?” Dee gets curious. 

“I’m not sure yet, if I do, it’ll take a bit of financial planning to make it all work out.” I say thoughtfully. 

“We have time to plan it out.” Jane smiles. “I just wanted this conference to chat about the dance and see you again. It’s been too long.” 

I blush. “Sorry, it’s been a busy week.” 

“Rose doesn’t stop.” Tina says. “Mondays we go to the gym, Tuesdays she’s got at least one movie date, Wednesdays we play soccer, Thursdays she supports the boys' team…”

“Why do you go watch the boys play?” Dee says curiously. 

“It’s an agreement I have with a boy in my sophomore class.” I start. 

“Rose is their unofficial team captain.” Tina cuts in. “The boys and the coach listen to us when we spot patterns.” 

“So you are like a power couple.” Winnie catches the comment. “Two athletes with similar goals in mind, you two must be impossible to beat on the field!” 

I look at Tina. “I never thought of us that way, but she’s right.” 

“Rose and I run on the same wavelength, we haven’t lost a game yet!” Tina boasts.

“And you plan to bring the boy’s team with you to win national pennants.” Dee smiles. “You two are clever.” 

“It’s not just cause she’s cute and hot in bed that we’re dating.” I grin. 

Tina guffaws and playfully slaps my shoulder. “Oh, you!” 

Her actions cause the conference to laugh. 

“Back to the dance.” I say with a smile. “The Simmons have given me an expense account, so I decided to use a little financial leverage to give us a theme. I wanted to make an entrance.”

“I’d say that you succeeded, they crowned you and the thin raven.” Jane says looking over pictures that I added from the dance.

“Her name is Cassandra. She actually reminds me of you, Dee.” I say. 

“Oh?” Dee gets curious and goes back into the pictures. 

“Cassandra is tall, lean and petite, we’re going to the gym together. I have her working on muscle definition, so that she gets that nice slight hourglass figure of yours that I love so much.” 

Dee blushes. “You are such a flirt.” 

"With heels she was the same height as you, but I take it she’s shorter." Jane comments. 

“Yes, though she’s the tallest of all the ones I date. Travis and Tina here are the next tallest.” I nod.

“I think Trent is taller than I am.” Replies Tina. 

“I’m not dating Trent yet.” I argue with Tina and she gives a disbelieving look. 

“Who’s Trent?” Jane gets curious. 

I pull up a picture of Trent and Zoe from my dance photos and share it. “This is the sophomore boy I was talking about. These two are already in our relationship, but we’re just courting for now.”

“So Rose keeps up the track record of dating raven-headed girls, but the boy…” Tony says, looking at the picture, then at the screen. 

“Looks a lot like a male version of me, yes, I noticed how we both have the same hair and eye colour.” Tina replies. 

“You couldn’t find a transgender Tina so your going to date her alter-ego.” Jane teases me. 

“I didn’t plan on this, honest.” I say defensively. 

“You are so fun tease honey.” Tina giggles and leans against me. 

There is a knock on my door. “Enter.” I call out, figuring it was Elise doing an evening snack check in.

Beth opens the door. “I heard voices… Oh good evening Tina.” 

“Evening Beth, can I spend the night in Rose’s room?” Tina asks, looking over her shoulder. 

Beth notices she has an audience with my support group, looks at the computer, then at the two of us. “We’ll talk about that in a moment. First, can I say hello to your friends? I recognize Jane, this is your support group up north, right?” 

“Hello Beth.” Jane smiles. “Your man stubbornly still won’t date me, so rest assured your fiancé is still faithful.” 

Beth giggles. “You are always the flirt, I miss our chats this summer. I need to borrow Rose for a bit. Can we just say goodnight for now?” 

My support gives their greetings to her and good nights before I close the connection. I turn in my chair, worried why Beth asked me to cut my video conference early. 

“Yes Tina, it’s too late to send you home, I’ll allow you to stay the night.” Beth starts. “Rose, have you spoken to your parents recently?” 

“I spoke with Maman tonight, and she told me that Mom & Dad have filed to be my legal parents till I’m 21.” I nod. “It’s not a strict emancipation order, I’m still a Montgomery, but my birth parents have no legal say as to my care and control.” 

"Mom told me only last night that it went through. Before you left for Britechester, you were so worried about what your father could do, they did this to protect you, you’re not upset, are you?" Beth gives me a concerned look. 

“I’m actually very relieved.” I say and I can see Beth relax. “I guess you’re not just my sister-in-law anymore.” I smile. 

Beth walks forward and I get up from my chair so that she can give me a big hug. “Thank you for your understanding.” She holds me by my shoulders. “Rose, you are so precious to us, we just want to keep you safe.” 

My eyes well up in happiness. “Thank you so much.” And I give her another hug.

“I’m so glad that you don’t object with what they did.” Beth smiles. “You’ve had a hard enough life, Mom & Dad just want to continue seeing you happy. You’ve grown and flourished so much here in Willow Creek, we wanted you to have a safe place to call home.” 

“That means a lot to me, I’ll thank them over breakfast in the morning.” I smile. 

“Okay, goodnight you two. Behave now.” Beth winks and leaves us alone. 

“I really like your sister.” Tina says putting her arm around my waist.

“I really like my sister too.” I say, turning and giving Tina a kiss. “What do you want to do now?” 

“Well, it’s still early, and I’m supposed to behave.” She says playfully. “How about we watch something together?” 

“Sure.” I smile. 

We settle down on the couch and find a rom-com that we both think would be fun to watch. Tina cuddles up into me and we enjoy the movie together. Chatting and holding each other. I’m getting the impression that my relationship with Tina is surpassing what Leilani and I have together. Yet, Tina doesn’t seem phased that this wonderful connection we’ve made may not last past graduation. She just wants to enjoy the time we have together now. 


	76. Evening of Passion

My lovely brunette echoes my thoughts. “Leilani won’t be upset that I’ve monopolized most of your time today, will she?” 

“Maybe, she’ll likely just demand that she be next.” I smile. “She might echo your comment about hogging the girlfriend, though.” 

Tina giggles. “I can’t help it.” She snuggles into me and sighs. “Everything just feel right in your arms.” 

“Cassandra said the same this morning.” I smile and caress her arm. 

“You have that effect on us.” Tina smiles. 

“Wonder if kissing Brad last night was a bad idea..” I ponder. 

“Isn’t that how Trent & Zoe rekindled their love for you and became puppies again?” 

I nod. “Brad has never shown an interest in me before, though. I’m hoping he’s monogamous and won’t want to pursue a relationship.” 

“Or hope he doesn’t dig white chicks and just like the one-off kiss?” Tina offers. 

“Something like that, yes.” I smile. “San Myshuno is such a culturally diverse city, I never thought of race being an issue in dating.” 

“Which is why you saw no problem in Leilani’s advances. She’s just like the rest of us,” Tina says, catching on. 

“Her skin is so amazing though, it’s her intoxicating nature that made her hard to resist.” I say fondly. 

“She came on to you. Like me, she’s been the one to push your relationship to where it is?” Tina says catching on. 

“Yep. I tried to slow things down, and limit how far we went, but she’s really hard to resist when she’s turned on.” I smile. 

“I noticed. Wow, is she a hot tart!? I can see why you enjoy her company so much. She’s sexy, funny, and all around fun to be with.” Tina smiles, caressing my chest. “So, it all started with Monique.” Tina says thoughtfully. “Leilani being your neighbour kept pushing for more love after you kissed her at the slumber party before school started?” 

“Yes.” I say as Tina is sorting out the timeline of how we got here. “I tried my best to keep our relationships separate."

“I remember Monique saying something about Travis being the catalyst of how this all started.” Tina queries. 

“Our first date Thursday before school started, Monique said people find me attractive. I was still a bit in my shell then. I mentioned that would explain Travis flirting with me that week. So Monique pushed for a deep kiss instead of just making it a pleasant date. As she said, apparently I’m a natural. Our making out drove her to seduce me the private movie night she had planned for us.” I say. “That started our relationship. A couple of weeks later, after Leilani and I started to unofficially date, she saw me kiss Travis after a movie night date together. She then slept with me to cement our relationship, so that Travis wouldn’t take me away from her.” 

“Only to fall in love with Travis later when you slept together, the three of you?” Tina says. 

“It is rather ironic when I think of it. That one boy could create so much romantic competition.” 

“Did Monique not realize you were dating other people?” Tina asks me. 

“She suspected, but I kept denying her worries, telling her it wasn’t serious. I’m not proud of that. I should have told her from the beginning. It would have saved both of us form the heartache I caused her when Dave made me admit to sleeping around. I actually thought that we would break up for good once she found out.” I say sadly. “The way she left, I was almost certain she’d never come back.”

“But, like the rest of us, she couldn’t let you go. She’s hooked on the love you give and doesn’t want to give it up?” Tina says. “This is why you took her back, but keeping her at arm’s length… you’re not sure of her motives?”

“Monique is the most beautiful butch girl I’ve ever met. She’s a perfect example of her cultural heritage and knows how to use it. She also knows exactly how to manipulate my feelings, usually to her own ends. So, no, I don’t trust her motives. Our relationship is more sexual than it is romantic. She’s always been attracted to my body more than anything, what else I can do is more a perk than important - at least that’s how it feels.”

“Which is why you found my wanting you not unusual, but my falling in love with you is a surprise?” Tina comments reaching up and playing with my hair. 

“Yes, both Monique and Leilani started off with wanting my body. Like you, Leilani fell in love with me in the end, and would bear my children given half the chance.” Tina whispers a ‘woah,’ but doesn’t cut me off. “Travis and Cassandra fell in love with me, as a girl. I wasn’t sure where to place you when you asked to be my girlfriend.” I reply. “We quickly became lovers, which originally led me to think that you would be like Monique.”

Tina turns around and faces me. “Well, you have an unbelievable body that doesn’t stop.” She plays with the collar or my sweater. “You are the most amazing lover I have ever had.” She looks into my eyes. “But the more I get to know you, the more I feel there’s something more between us.” 

I smile and give her a soft kiss. “Tina, there has always been something more between us. Since the first day we met, we’ve shared an unspoken bond. It’s why I love you so much.” 

Tina gives me an adoring smile. “You are amazing.” She brings her face closer to mine. “Don’t let anyone else tell you otherwise.” 

She leans in and we start a long, loving kiss. She takes a deep breath, moans and pushes into me, and the kiss turns more passionate. We really start to make out on the couch, I slide down so that she’s on top of me, and we grind into each other. I’m hard by the time we finally end our kiss.

“Take me to bed so we can be more comfortable.” She says in a husky voice. 

I smile. “Yes, ma’am.” Leaving her to giggle at my stressed accent. 

I put my feet down and sit up as she turns and puts her arms around me. I pick her up bridal style. I wave my hand. “Sairinanampë”, triggering the TV and the light switch off from the couch. Tina gasps as she realizes what I just did and I make a little ‘shhh’ sound. “Now that you know I don’t need to hide it, but it’s still our little secret.” 

Tina smiles, nods, and kisses my neck. I carry her into the bedroom, motioning my hand to close the partition behind us. “Now you’re just showing off.” She giggles. 

“I’m about to show you how magical a night with me can get.” I say in a sultry tone. 

I lay Tina down on the bed and then take off her clothing. Once her top is off, I sit up and take mine off as well. Tossing our clothes to the side, I kiss her neck and down her body. She sighs, I aim to make our night intimate and sensual. This afternoon was hot and heavy. Tonight I aim to love her body. While her breasts aren’t as sensitive as mine, I can get her really horny so that she is pushing my head down as I slowly cherish her flat stomach. 

I look up at her and give her a seductive grin. “Let’s get these out of the way.” 

She bites her lower lip as I slide my hands up her hips and then hook her biking shorts and panties and move my body down with her clothing as I slide them off of her. I shed my own bottoms before I kiss her tanned legs as I go back up. Her skin tastes like a combination of tea-tree oil and lotion. When I reach her knees, I give a small bite and suck the underside of her knee lightly. She moans at the sensation and opens her legs in anticipation as I kiss up her inner thigh. I love her sensitive thighs, the moment my lips land on her skin, she moans.

“Hmmm.. Yesss..” She hisses as I kiss my way closer to her sex. 

By the time I reach her mound, she is dripping in anticipation of my oral attack, looking down at me expectantly, the look of need on her face heightens. I kiss up and around, nuzzle the light brown hair of her bush, before kissing back down beside her lips. She reaches down and grabs hold of my hair, pushing up against me in need as I keep teasingly kissing around her hole. I suck her outer lips gently, opening access to her hole. She has this musky smell that’s sweet like honeydew. A small voice in the back of my mind marvels at how each of my lovers smells and tastes so different. I stick out my tongue and lick along her inner fold. 

She gasps and moans. “Oh, that feels so good!” 

I keep licking up, just grazing her clitoris before licking back down, making her moan even louder. I hope the closet adds as a better insulator, otherwise Beth’s going to hear that we’re not behaving. I flick my tongue at her opening, and I was going to play more, but Tina grabs my head and pushes her pussy up at me. My tongue finds her hole and sinks in. 

“Oh, wow!” She gasps. And humps my face as I work my tongue in as deep as it can go. 

I tongue her hole, revelling in the taste that flows out of her vagina. She is gasping and moaning, holding my head with one hand, and gripping the sheets with the other as I continue to eat her out. She finally grabs a pillow to reduce the noise she’s making as her moans and gasps get louder. I can feel her hole trying to pull me in as she gets closer to her peak, it’s then that I stop tonguing her and latch on to her clitoris. She moans loudly into the pillow; I hear her muffled cries. 

“Oh yes, don’t, don’t stop, right there, oh I’m going to…” 

I push two fingers into her hole and hum and she moans and screams as her body goes rigid for a second, wrapping her legs around my head as she humps at my face. I keep hold of her clit and keep going at it to push her over the edge and keep fingering her till she slumps back in the bed. 

Tina pulls the pillow off her face and keeps hold of it as I slowly kiss my way back up her body. 

“Oh, wow, I so love what you can do with your tongue!” She sighs as she comes down from her orgasm. “The things you do to my body!” 

“Ready for more?” I say as I come up to her face.

Tina puts her arms around me and pulls me in for a kiss. “Make love to me?” she pleads. 

I slide up her body and slowly penetrate her wet hole. She lets out a long drawn-out moan as I slowly slide in deeper, using small thrusts to keep sliding in. I can feel her muscles release and pull at me as her body tries to pull me in deeper I reach down and pull her bottom up so that I get the best angle to slide all the way in and she groans and gasps as I hit bottom. 

“You’re in so deep, oh gosh you’re so big.” She whimpers as I slide almost all the way out, only to slide to the hilt again. 

I keep up this slow pace and bend down to kiss her deeply. There is no rush to our lovemaking as we kiss and caress one another, relishing in the feeling of each other’s bodies. I can feel her vagina tightening, and I quicken up the pace. She pulls at my shoulders as if to push herself further into me and we really go at it. Kissing between moans and gasp, and I hold her shoulders from underneath so that I can push against her harder with each down thrust. 

“Oh yes, fuck me!” she starts. “Oh, I’m so close… oh yes..." her voice cuts out as I feel her body spasm as the first wave hits. 

Despite all the sex we’ve had today, her spasms triggers my orgasm, and I push all the way in, holding myself as I fill her as deep as I can go. We’re sweating now as I keep going, pushing her over the edge again. 

“Oh god yes, fill me up again!” she moans as I we really go at it passionately.

I lose track of how many orgasms she’s had, they just seem to come wave after wave, as if she never stops cumming. Her vagina is like a warm hand as her muscles work at trying to pull me in deeper and deliver my next load. I can only take the feeling for so long, and I feel the blissful approach for my second orgasm. So does Tina as my member throbs and she moans louder. 

“Oh, yes, cum with me, fill me up!” she moans. 

As if that is my queue my member explodes deep in her hole and time seems to stand still as we are both frozen with the intensity of our mutual orgasm. It feels as if it lasts forever. I am adrift in an ocean of bliss. There is no up, there is no down, there is just me and Tina wrapped in a blanket of ecstasy. I know I blew my mind with this, and it feels as if my whole body is exploding in rapture. I’ve never felt this intense of an orgasm with my member before. 

When I come to. I’m laying on Tina, she is holding me and caressing my back. We’re breathing hard, drenched in sweat, and I just feel soooo good and content right now. I open my eyes and look into those lovely hazel orbs. Her focus is glassy and distant, like she’s still somewhere out there floating. Her eyes finally come into focus and she looks at me. We both giggle and smile. She pulls me in for a soft, loving kiss. 

“I thought Saturday was amazing, you just blew my mind again.” She giggles. “You are incredible.” 

“I’ve never had so strong of an orgasm before.” I say dreamily. 

It’s hard to move, I don’t think I could walk right now. I slide off of her as I struggle to grab the sheets and cover our cooling bodies. She moans and whimpers as I slide out of her sex, and is quick to roll on her side and push up against me to spoon into my arms. I hold her close, relishing in the touch of our skin. She’s using my bicep as a pillow and holding my forearm against her body. I have my chin on her head, and I breathe the residue of her shampoo, as she snuggles in so that more of her body can touch mine. 

“How on earth did you get to be such an amazing lover?” Tina says sweetly with a dreamy smile. “I lost count of how many orgasms I had, they just kept coming one after another…” she sighs. “I’ve never felt so complete, so content, so satisfied as I do right now.” 

I move my head and kiss the top of her hair. “A wonderful lover makes for great sex.” My smile echoing her words from earlier. “You are so amazing.” I sigh. 

“Thank you.” She says caressing my arm. “Since I’ve met you, I realize, I’ve never truly made love to someone before…. Not like this.” She relaxes her shoulders. “Everything feels so right: your touch, your scent, I can even hear your heartbeat.” 

She entwines her fingers in mine, and we hold hands as we cuddle. “Do you think we’ll do this again?”

“We have all night.” I smile and give her a squeeze. 

“Hmmm..” He purrs. “But give me a bit, I don’t think my legs work right now.” 

We both giggle at the realization that our bodies aren’t ready to move yet. “I love you…” I say tenderly. 

“I love you too.” She coos sweetly. 

We both give out a long breath of satisfaction and start drifting off to sleep. Cuddled like this, she feels even better to hold than Leilani. I don’t know if it’s just the post orgasmic bliss, but I never thought I could love a partner this much. In this moment she is the most important person in my life. 

“I will always love you.” I whisper in realization that I feel almost as strongly for her as I do Cassandra. 

“I’ll always love you too.” She sighs and I feel her breathing shift as she drifts off to sleep. 

I smile, give her one last light squeeze and let sleep take me.


	77. Sunday Breakfast Talk

My bladder wakes me with a desperate need to relieve myself. Tina and I are still spooned together, I wonder if we’ve moved at all while we slept. With some effort, I slip out of her arms. She whines at the loss of body heat, and I kiss her forehead. 

“Be back soon, my love.” I whisper.

She sighs and pulls the sheets closer to her neck and settles down, soon her breathing is rhythmic as she falls back into a deep sleep. 

I pad into the bathroom naked, using the dim light in the room to get around, not bothering to turn on any lights. The advantages of being nocturnal, I see very well in the dark. As I’m washing my hands, I hear a soft knock on the door. I grab my robe and pad over to the door as Beth opens it. She sees the movement of my body. 

“Rose?” she whispers. 

“Yes.” I reply as I get close to her. 

“Oh, good, you’re awake. Is Tina still sleeping?” I nod. “Join us for breakfast?” 

“Sure, let me grab something to wear.” I reply.

“Just get slippers, if you’re not coming with us this morning, no point in getting dressed.” Beth smiles.   
So I dash quietly on my tippy toes and grab my slippers from beside the bed. I give Tina one last look; she is so lovely. I smile and blow her a kiss before dashing out of the bedroom, closing the partition on my way out.

“I’m surprised you’re up this early.” Beth teases me as we walk together down the stairs. 

“We weren’t too loud last night, were we?” I say worried she heard us.

“Tina is not a quiet lover.” Beth teases me. 

I blush. “No, she’s not, she is amazing thought.” I smile. 

“The amount of sex you have at your age is amazing, I can bet that wasn’t the only time you two were at it yesterday, not with how clingy she’s become.” Beth teases me as we reach the main floor. 

“No, it wasn’t,” I admit. “She’s insatiable.” 

“Seeing as you and Dave are pretty much twins, if you’re built like he is, then I can understand the desire.” Beth giggles. “There are times I can’t get enough of my fiancé either.” 

“Which must make it so hard that you are so often apart?” I say sadly as we cross the sitting room.   
“It was a sacrifice we were both willing to make. When he graduates, I’ll be passing on the café to another family member, as I intend to stay with him when we marry.” 

“Understandable” I smile as we enter the dining room. 

“Why Rose, you are not dressed.” Mom says as I enter the room. 

“I’m not coming with you this morning, so Beth told me to just come as I am.” I say apologetically. 

“That’s okay, dear. Beth says you have something to say to us this morning?” Mom queries.

I settle in my seat across from my sister and nod. “Thank you. For all that you have done for me. Maman told me last night that you filed the papers that Dave hadn’t.”

“You aren’t upset?” Mom notices I’m smiling. 

I dig into the delicious omelette in front of me. “I should have figured it out Thursday when you called me your daughter in front of Monique, and again Friday when you said you were going to send photos to showcase your new daughter to the family.” I look around the table and smile. “It just makes so much sense how you have been treating me, and I feel so much more comfortable knowing that I’m safe here with you.” 

Mom relaxes and smiles. “We only want to protect the most precious flower that has come into our lives. I’m glad that you are happy.” 

“How are your parents taking it?” Dad asks.

“My father wasn’t impressed. He doesn’t like loosing control, I can imagine he went someplace to blow off some steam.” I start with a frown. My face softens. “Maman is happy that it’s not a strict emancipation order, and that she can still call me her child.” 

“What do you mean your father went someplace to blow off some steam?” Dad asks, concerned.

“While my father has a short temper, I’ve never seen him hit my mother.” I start _No, he only did that to you._

“He would have called my uncle Sean and the two of them would have gone off to the Gym to vent on punching bags.” I say with a frown. 

“Like I saw you do the other night.” Beth comments. 

“You don’t hurt people when you take your anger and frustrations out on an object.” I say without emotion. I can feel my eyes dull with that comment - as the memory of him using me as a punching bag when one wasn’t available surfaces.

“Rose, are you okay?” Mom says concerned. 

I close my eyes, and take a deep breath, I can feel the colour return to my face as I smile. “I was just starting down the road to a bad memory. I’m okay now.” 

Beth looks at me for a moment. “That is the most self-control I’ve seen you demonstrate when you start on a negative emotion. I think your girlfriends are a good influence on you.” 

“Between Cassandra and Tina, I’m learning to control my emotions better.” I smile.

“Just thinking of those two has your eyes pushing past jade, you share a deep connection with both of them, Tina isn’t just a girlfriend anymore?” Beth comments looking into my eyes. 

I take a deep breath and smile. “Like Cassandra, Tina and I share an emotional bond. I’ve always felt it was there. We so often think alike, that we coordinate games and move on the field as one mind. This weekend our bond grew even stronger.” I comment thoughtfully. 

“Which is why, after spending the afternoon together, you had supper at her place, and she came home with you.” She’s enjoying this new connection and doesn’t want to let it go.” Beth says catching on. 

“Tina came home with Rose last night?” Mom says concerned. 

“Yes, she did.” Beth gives me a look. “I’d like a little forewarning next time, young lady.” 

“She popped it on me at the last minute, as if a sudden desperate plea to not be separated.” I say apologetically. 

“And you can’t say no.” Beth sighs and shakes her head. “You’re going to have to learn to draw the line when your loved ones want more from you…” 

“I’m trying.” I say with an apologetically tone. “But she leads our relationship, it’s hard to say no to those lovely hazel eyes… Tina’s parents told me yesterday that they’ve never seen her so affectionate with anyone, and that they’ve never seen her happier since she met me - even before we were dating.” 

“Oh, really?” Mom asks. 

“The day I met Tina on the field at soccer trials, is when she seemed to change.” According to her mother. “Since she moved here 3 years ago after the hurricane, she’s been friendly, but never had any deep friendships until I came into her life.” 

“And like so many of your loves, you’ve turned her life around.” Beth says leaning her chin on her hands.” 

I blush. “Apparently I have that effect on people.” 

“We’ve felt it even here in the household, the staff love having you around.” Mom says. 

Dad looks at his watch. “We should get going.” 

“Yes.” Mom says. “We’ll talk more about this later. You are going to the Goths today, yes?”

“Yes. I told Cassandra I would find a way to join her for lunch.” I reply. 

“I can make that happen.” Beth smiles at me. 

“You like Cassandra...” I catch on, glancing at Beth. 

Beth smiles wider. “Your love for Cassandra far surpasses anyone in your relationship. Now, from what I can tell, you and Miss Goth have never slept together, yet your eyes are the brightest when she is in your arms. It’s the same colour that Dave’s eyes turn when we are together. If that is not a display of pure love, then I don’t know what is. So, yes, I like Cassandra and what she does for you.” 

I blush. “I never realized…” 

“How much of an effect she has on you?” Beth teases. “When I saw you all snuggled together Tuesday night, I could tell that you were happy snuggled in with your relationship. Your eyes were emerald, it was almost mesmerizing.”

“So that’s why you stare into my eyes so often.” I say thoughtfully. 

“It’s the best way to judge your emotions.” The happier you are, the brighter your eyes get, but…” 

“The sadder or the angrier I get, the colour drains from my eyes and drops to grey. Yes, Tina told me that’s what happens when she’s seen me lose my temper.”

My family is making their way to the front doors and I walk with them. “Interesting.” Mom say thoughtfully.

“What emotions you don’t broadcast Rose, you can see in your face. You would make a terrible poker player.” Beth teases. 

“You behave while we’re gone. And probably get some more rest. The Goths can throw quite a party.” Mom says. 

I give Mom and Dad a big hug. “Thank you again. For everything you have done. Know that I really appreciate it.” 

I wave to them as Williams closes the door, and I head back upstairs to my room. Going back to sleep isn’t a bad idea. I slip into the room, noting that all the lights are still off and everything is quiet. I slip out of my robe, hanging it back in the bathroom, take my slippers off at the foot of the bed and slide as gently as I can back in the bed. 

Tina is wakeful enough to feel my presence, and rolls into my side, snuggling into me with her head on my shoulder. She smiles and sighs as I close my arm around her back and she slides her leg on top of mine. In this position, with her hand on my stomach, she is half on top of me, and I relish the feeling of her touch. 

“I love you.” She whispers in her sleep. 

“I love you too.” I whisper back. Tina takes a deep breath and falls back asleep. 

With her breathing and the comfort of her in my arms, I soon drift back off the sleep myself. 

\- - -

When I awake again, the sunrise is lighting up my room. I feel Tina’s body still half on top of mine and playing with my morning erection. 

When I open my eyes, Tina’s voice is seductive in my ear. “Oh, good, you’re awake. I love waking to this present in the morning.” She purrs. “Can we have a little more fun before our shower?” she kisses my neck and I moan. 

“Umm.” I purr. “You definitely have my attention for it now.” I smile and shift my neck to give her more access and moan as she continues to kiss my body. 

Tina isn’t in the mood for foreplay this morning, she must be really horny as she slides on to my body. I start effortlessly sliding into her, she’s so wet and ready for it. 

“Oooooh Yes.” She moans. “I love the feeling of you inside of me.” She gasps and hmms as I sink deeper. 

We kiss passionately as we rub our bodies together, my nipples are quickly hardening and rub hers on the upstroke. This is increasing our passions this morning, and I reach down and grab her bottom and kneed her cheeks as her motions increase. At this rate, it will not take me long to…

Tina senses I’m close and squeezes her vagina down around me, knowing it’ll trigger my orgasm. I hold her tight to me as I push up and empty my morning load deep inside. She coos and 'ahs' and moans as I fill her. 

“Oh, I love that feeling.” She purrs. “There’s one, let’s go for cumming together.” She says passionately 

She increases her pace, she’s pushing herself up on her hands to put more angle and leverage into our lovemaking. We really go at it, and I bring one hand forward to play with her breast and we moan, groan and gasp together. I love her wordplay, I know when she’s getting close as her words and comments get more urgent. 

“Oh.. Hmm… that’s it… so close… cum with me baby… cum with meeee…” I feel her walls spasm around my erection and there’s no holding back with what her vagina is doing and I comply and empty my second load. This pushes Tina to a new edge…

“Oh, yesss….” She whimpers in a high-pitched voice as her body shudders with the strength of her orgasm. 

Tina’s hands slide along the bottom of my shoulders as she collapses on top of me. I keep up a few more strokes till I can feel her orgasm subside. She lays her head on my shoulder and lets go a long moan of happiness. 

“Oh. Wow. I love sleeping with you at night.” She coos. “You always give me a fun time waking up.” She smiles and snuggles into me. “Leilani must have been so spoiled living next door to you..” She sighs “How many times did you two sleep together like this?” 

“Four times if I recall.” I smile, caressing her back softly. “More counting the times with Travis.”

“She said something about missing your morning showers.” Tina says playing with my chest. 

“If she couldn’t spend the night, then we often would shower play in the morning before school. It’s why I call her my little nymph, she’s always looking for a chance at nookie. Like you.” I tickle the back of her neck, causing her to giggle. 

“It’s so strange that I don’t feel jealous talking about this.” Tina whispers. “I thought I would, but it just feels... Normal with you.” 

“Maybe it’s cause there’s nothing to be jealous about? I give you plenty of love as well.” I smile, caressing her hair and shoulders. 

“Hmmmm.” She purrs. “Last night was amazing.” She looks up at me. “Were your family upset with my spending the night?” 

“Beth was more annoyed that I didn’t give her forewarning that I was bringing someone home. It’s odd that she doesn’t seem to mind about who I sleep with.” I say thoughtfully. 

“Well, it’s not like you just sleep with anyone. We are all careful with what we’re doing.” Tina says snuggling into me.

“I guess that’s why she’s not angry.” I say, looking up at the canopy. 

“Shower?” Tina asks. 

“Sure.” I smile. 

Tina slides off of me and I see her face change expressions and she whimpers. “I used to be glad when my boyfriends would pull out of me, but I really hate the feeling when we break our joining.” She complains. 

“Leilani says the same thing, and I feel the same when Travis pulls out, so I understand that feeling of loss when we’re no longer joined.” I reply. 

“It seems having a boyfriend in the relationship has its advantages.” She giggles, holding her hand out to pull me up to a sitting position.

I take her hand and slide to the edge of the bed to get my legs onto the floor. Tina does one last heave to pull me up and into her arms. I smile as I put my arms around her and give her a deep kiss. 

“I forget you are nearly as strong as I am, so this is what the girls enjoy so much when I pull them up out of the bed.” I take a deep breath as she holds me close and puts her head on my shoulder. I give her a squeeze. “Let’s get washed up and get some food.” 

She smiles as I take her hand and guide her into the bathroom. I look at my watch, it’s around 8. “Beth will be back here in 3 hours, so we have time to enjoy ourselves, no need to rush our shower this morning.” 

“Hmm. I like the sound of that.” Tina smiles as she adjusts the temperature before pulling me into the shower. We get ourselves all wet, and then casually, sensually explore each other’s bodies as we soap each other up. The experience gets us both turned on, leading to another bout of sex, this time standing in the shower. 

“I can’t believe how easy it is to make love to you, and no matter how many times we do it, I’m still looking for more.” She kisses me lovingly as we enjoy the combination of hot water and post orgasmic bliss. “You have me so spoiled.” She holds me close, trying to keep me from sliding out of her, knowing that I will as soon as I let her go. 

“You deserve to be spoiled, you are one of the most amazing girls I’ve ever met.” I smile and kiss her neck. 

“You are such a romantic.” She giggles. “Okay, I guess we should get out of the shower…” she says reluctantly. 

I nod and let her go. She slides down my body, and whimpers as the motion pulls me out of her sex. She continues to hold me close as her feet touch the ground. “When we are connected, I can feel your heartbeat.” She says leaning against my shoulder. “Like we are one. I’ve never felt like that with anyone else.”   
“It’s all I’ve ever felt when I make love to someone. It’s what strengthens the bond with the one I love.” I reply as we dry off. 


	78. Sunday Morning Together

I look for something in my wardrobe for Tina to wear. “This keeps up, I should bring clothing and personal things at your house.” Tina teases me, pulling on the panties I offer her. 

“I wouldn’t mind that.” I smile as I hand her a pair of tights. 

They are capris-style on me that fully fit Tina’s curves down to her ankles because of her shorter legs. Tina admires my choice of bottoms in the closet mirror. “There is not a single thing you own that’s not designed to make you absolutely sexy.” She slides her hands along the skin-tight material. 

I giggle. “Blame Jane, she helped me chose most of my wardrobe, and I’ve just been leading from her example since.” I’m pulling on the red dress Cassandra first met me in. It follows the curves of my body, followed by a pleated skirt. 

Tina does up the buttons in the back for me. The bra I’m wearing today pushes my breasts together, showing an appetizing b-cup cleavage in the low cut front. 

“If this is the dress that Leilani first saw you wear that first Saturday, I can see how she crushed on you.” Tina teases. “I can only imagine what kind of impression this left on Travis as well.”

I giggle as I hand Tina a red halter top, and a brown camisole to match her bottoms. “Leilani said I look like a big strawberry.” I smile fondly. 

“Considering the smell that surrounds you, that’s a pretty accurate description.” She smiles, kisses my shoulder, and lets me go. “I never realized how much our complexions matched.” She says pulling her hair into a high ponytail. “Everything you own here looks amazing on me. I thank you for finding one of your less feminine outfits.” She teases. 

“I like dresses and looking feminine.” I say as I come up behind her and put my arms around her, kissing her neck. She leans back and melts into me. “Hmmmmm.” She moans. “We even have the same soft spot, you find it every time.” She sighs, reaching back to pull me closer. “Lets go down for breakfast before I start round 3.” She says in a husky voice. 

“Okay.” I whisper in her ear, making her whimper more. 

“You are incorrigible.” She purrs. “Get away you, before I strip the dress off of you and make love to you here in the closet.” 

I give her one last kiss on her shoulder and step away. “Sorry, you just look so tempting in that outfit.”

Tina turns around and puts her arms around me, and pulls me into a deep passionate kiss. We stand there for a few moments, making out. 

“The things you do to me…” she sighs and leans against my shoulder. “I honestly was not this horny of a girl before I met you.” 

I giggle. “Travis’ mother calls me the worst best influence she’s ever met.” 

“That sounds pretty accurate.” Tina smiles. “Come on, I’m hungry.” 

“Okay.” I whisper. We break our embrace and walk hand-in-hand out of my room. We bump into Elise on the way down, and I ask if we could get Pierre to get Tina breakfast and me something light to eat. 

“I’ll be right on it.” Elise gives me a motherly smile, and we split ways at the bottom of the stairs. 

“Are you going to miss cooking while you live here?” Tina asks me. 

“I already do. I would love nothing more than you and I to make breakfast again this morning.” I say as we head into the dining room. 

“Say, it’s a beautiful morning, do you want to eat on the patio outside?” Tina says looking at the big empty room. 

“Sure.” I smile. 

We pass Williams on the way back into the Foyer. “Tell Elise we’ll be eating breakfast on the pool patio?” 

“I will.” He smiles.

Tina and I make our way out the back door to the pool area. There are plenty of seating options, we choose a table by the cabana that’s shaded. This allows us to enjoy the warm weather without being in direct sunlight. 

“This house is amazing.” Tina sighs as she looks around the pool area. “I’ve only ever imagined living in a place like this. Here I am, at your side, by the pool of the biggest manor house in Willow Creek.” She leans her cheek on her palm. “You are going to have this city girl spoiled.” 

“Still call yourself a city girl after all these years here?” I tease her. 

“Yep, you can take the girl out of the city, but you can’t take the city out of the girl.” She smiles. Tina looks thoughtful for a moment. “You told my parents that you are a national silver medallist…” 

Elise comes out with glasses of juice and milk, and tells us that breakfast will be ready shortly. Mushroom omelets. I thank her as she leaves. 

“Three years running.” I say as I take a sip of juice.” Swimming, track & field, and volleyball.” I look at my glass thoughtfully. “It still didn’t make my father happy. I was supposed to earn gold.” 

Tina puts her hand on mine. “You no longer have to aspire to his goals Rose, you can finally be yourself.” 

I look up at her concern; it makes me smile, and she relaxes only when the colour starts returning to my eyes. “You’re right.” I say at last. “I am finally enjoying sports for the first time in my life. Our team is so close and caring. I’ve never had so many friends on a team before.” 

“What was it like before?” Tina asks softly. “Only answer if you feel comfortable to.” She says giving my hand another squeeze. 

“I used to compete against them.” I say sadly. “I was supposed to be the best on the team, I was aggressive and alienated myself from people, who took me as an elitist snob, because that’s what my father wanted me to be.” 

“Which is why you told your mother that you are finally enjoying sports, now that you are playing them your way. And why it surprises you still, how we follow you and care about you.” 

“No one ever did before.” I say sadly, a tear creeping down my cheek. 

Tina lets go of my hand and caresses the tear on my cheek. “The Rose I know is caring, gentle and not mean or aggressive. We follow you as all you’ve ever asked of us is teamwork. You are friendly competitive, judging none of our weaknesses, encouraging our strengths. You’ve put none of the girls down, or belittled us when we couldn’t keep up with you. Both you and Coach share that same training tactic. It’s pushing us to prove that we are still worthy to compete **with** you, as equals.”

I smile weakly. 

“This is the Rose that we know and love, and we will follow you anywhere. You’ve never asked of us what you weren’t willing to do yourself first.”

We are interrupted as Elise brings us breakfast and gives me a concerned look. “Are you okay?” 

“We’re having an emotional moment.” Tina answers softly. “We’ll be alright.” 

“Very well ma’am, call me if you need anything.” She curtsies and leaves us alone. 

I’ve mostly composed myself, and Tina relaxes as she sees the colour returning to my eyes. “Thanks.” I smile fondly. “I know you’ve said this before, I just… have doubts sometimes.” 

“You’ve not had a simple life Rose, I can imagine that living here must feel like a dream come true to you. You must be constantly waiting to wake up and go back to the nightmare you left.” 

I take a deep breath. “All too often.” I say sadly. “I mean, my life wasn’t always horrible. There were good days, I had my share of escapes, but here.” I look around. “This is one big escape that I’m worried will one day end.” 

“Now that the Simmons are your legal family. It won’t,” Tina smiles. “Enjoy getting the pampering you’ve deserved.” 

“Have I told you enough how amazing you are?” I say as we start digging into breakfast. 

“I still love hearing it.” Tina says tenderly and smiles. 

“I want to paint you.” I announce. “ As I take a sip of juice.

“Me?” Tina sounds surprised. 

“I want to paint each and one of my lovers eventually, we have a good 2 hours before Beth picks us up, I can get a good start on your base form…” 

Tina gives me a curious smile. “Okay, I would love to see how you do that.” 

\- - -

After breakfast, we head inside and walk upstairs back to my room. I go to the closet and pull out my rainbow soccer ball. Where each ‘black square’ is a colour instead with a white ball. I open the balcony doors and have her stand on the balcony, for better lighting. 

“I want to make a soccer painting of you, do you mind?” I query. 

“I think that would be great.” Tina smiles. 

“Do you want me to paint you in just a normal outfit or our school colours?” I probe as I get the brushes and canvas ready. 

“School Colours.” Tina smiles, I think she’s really getting into the idea now. 

I’m about to sketch her profile when I get an idea. I pick up my phone. “I want you to juggle the ball on your knee for me.” 

Tina smiles. “Okay.” She grins. 

I have her juggle the ball and take a few shots. I tell her to continue to do so as long as she’s having fun with it. And then do the base line sketch from the second picture that shows her looking at the ball just above head height. It’s the perfect angle to showcase her muscular body, her hazel eyes and chestnut hair, in a high ponytail, caressing her neck. The sun is catching her light brown and blond highlights. I love how her hair has three colours, it’s going to make for a beautiful portrait. 

I grab my soccer outfit for colour reference. I start with the base colours of her face, the base colours of her outfit. The portrait is from the waist up, but you can see her left leg as she bounces the ball. I work on the background, using the balcony as a horizon point, and make it look like she’s on a soccer field on a sunny day. Tina is still having fun juggling the ball, I catch her with her mouth slightly open, with a smile on her face, and use that as her facial expression. 

Beth didn’t message me ahead of time. I guess she wanted to see if we were behaving. When she knocks on my door and enters the room. Tina is sitting on the soccer ball and watching me explain what I'm doing as I paint her. I have all the basic forms and colours in, I just need to work in the detail as she walks up behind us. I turn and smile when she addresses us. I’m wearing a painter’s apron to not stain my dress. 

“Wow. That is going to be a beautiful painting of Tina.” Beth says in wonder. “How long did it take you to get this far?” 

“About two hours.” Tina says turning around, “I’ve been posing and watching her, isn’t she amazing!?” 

“Tina is a fantastic model, she seems to remember the exact position she was in, without my having to repose her each time.” I smile as I clean off my brushes. “If I can get a few more hours in next weekend, I might even have this finished by then.” 

“How detailed of a portrait are you looking for?” Beth says as she notes I’ve been using light strokes and the colour isn’t deep yet. 

“By the time I’m done, I aim to have this looking like a photograph.” I say confidently. 

“Wow.” Beth says. “Dave kept praising your artistic abilities, but I never knew you were this good!” 

“All the artwork hanging on the walls here is my work.” I say with a bit of pride. 

“What? Really?!” Beth inquires, looking around the room. “Even the posters and prints?” 

“I make prints when the client wanted the original.” I smile. “I’ve made some decent cash on some of my works.” 

“We talked about her art when we set it all up on moving day.” Tina beams. “Her style is so diverse. You can see which were her earlier works…” 

Beth pulls herself away from looking at a picture of a napping white cat with a blue background. “We all set to go?” 

“Well, I’m not.” Tina says putting her arm around my waist. "But I know Rose as commitments, so I guess I’ll have to let her go for the rest of the day." She says leaning against my shoulder. 

“I’ve always seen something between you two, but you’ve really fallen for my sister.” Beth teases. 

“More than I ever imagined possible.” Tina says wistfully. “I’ve loved no one the way I love Rose.” She says giving me an adoring look. 

“Let’s go.” Beth says. 

I nod and finish cleaning up my brushes, rinsing out the dip jar and palate board in my bathroom sink. I grab my backpack and Tina grabs her things in a small cloth bag. 

“The staff will do your laundry today while you’re out. Anything you want washed should be in your hamper.” 

“It’s in there.” I nod as we head downstairs. “Thanks for coming back for us.” I smile. 

“Least I could do for my sister.” Beth smiles. “Besides, I needed to get out of the café for a bit. I try not to work Sundays if I can avoid it.” 

Beth doesn’t seem to mind when Tina pulls me into the back seat for more cuddling. I wonder what she’s going to be like in school on Tuesday. We normally just hold hands - as Leilani and Cassandra are the ones who hold me as we walk around. Oh well, I’ll worry about it later, for now I’ll just enjoy my girlfriend’s company while I have it. 

Beth asks me what my plans are for tomorrow. 

“Zoe and I need to finish our geography project, originally I was going to see about going to her place.” I reply. “I could cycle to her place, to not inconvenience anyone for a drive - being a holiday and all.”

“There’s that wilful independence of yours coming back.” Beth smiles. 

“I had to learn to get around on my own growing up. It’s become second nature to jump on my bike to get where I need to be.” I say defensively. 

“I’m going to teach you how to drive this summer.” Beth comments. 

“What’s wrong with cycling?” I ask. “You don’t need gas, insurance, it requires less maintenance..” I list off the benefits of my bicycle compared to her car. 

“Not all of us can cycle as fast as you do.” Beth smiles. “I swear you can go as fast as traffic.” She finishes shaking her head. 

“Of course I can.” I say matter of fact. “It’s the only safe way to cycle through downtown traffic. Besides, it’s fun playing leap frog with buses.” I grin. 

“What was is that Dave warned you about?” Beth probes me. 

I sigh. “Okay, so they have stopped me three times for speeding on a peddle bike in the past 3 years. Once I started building my muscle mass, and can push over 200 kilos with my legs… Like I said before, apparently the police get twitchy when a peddle bike goes over 50 clicks.” 

Tina giggles. “I can imagine.” 

Beth just looks at me dumbfounded. “You can really bike that fast?” 

“Sure. Zero to 55 within the first block really isn’t that hard when you put weight into it.” I grin. “The highest they have tagged me on a straight away is 77 on the highway.”

“It was so fun cycling yesterday.” Tina says, leaning against my shoulder affectionately. “Rose stood up on the peddles and we just took off like a rocket! Made it to Leilani’s place from Cass' in less than 2 minutes!” She giggles. “Poor Travis couldn’t keep up. It took him another 3 to before he joined us.”

“This little thing just giggled the whole way, I did most of the peddling myself.” I tease her. 

Beth smiles and shakes her head. “Tina is the only one who could come close to keeping up with you on a bike, and even she just let you peddle?” She chuckles. “I can imagine what the two of you could do on a tandem bike for a long-distance run.” 

I gasp. “We need a longer bike!” I look at Tina and she just giggles. 

“Totally!” she grins. 

“You two are funny.” Beth smiles. 

Beth leaves us alone as we talk about the possibilities of finding a modular tandem bike that could fit up to the 5 of us. And how much fun that would be on weekends. No more swapping bikes or sorting out who’s riding with who…

“How would you transport a bike that could be up to 4 and a half meters long?” Beth asks as we talk about details. 

“I don’t know.” I say thoughtfully. “I’ll have to do some research on it tonight or tomorrow.” 


	79. HarvestFest with the Goths

We get to Tina’s place, and I get out of the car with my girlfriend so I can give her a long loving kiss goodbye. 

“I’m going to miss you.” She gives me a sad look as she holds me tight. 

“I’ll see you Tuesday.” I smile and kiss her forehead. 

“Call me tomorrow?” Tina looks up at me. She reminds me of Monique when we first got together. 

“Sure.” I smile. 

“Okay.” She smiles. “Talk to you then.” She gives me one last kiss before heading in her house. I wave to her parents, who are at the living room window as I walk away. 

“You okay?” Beth asks as I get into the passenger seat beside her.

“Yeah, why?” I ask her, suddenly surprised. 

“You seem down.” Beth says concerned. 

“Tina has fallen in so deep in love with me.” I say sadly. “And we’ll probably end up in different colleges after graduation.” 

“I think you have some time to enjoy yourselves before worrying about that.” Beth smiles. 

“You’re right.” I smile as we navigate out of Courtyard Lane, where most of my friends live, and head to Cassandra’s neighbourhood of Pendula View.

We pull up to the Goth household. “Thanks again for the drive, Beth. I’ll call you if I can’t get a drive home.” 

“Not staying with your girlfriend another night?” Beth teases me. 

“Don’t tempt me.” I give her a coy smile, making her giggle. I see Cassandra come out of the house and look at Beth’s SUV expectantly. “Besides, I’m not sure how many more times I can sleep over with Cassandra before our cuddling goes past 3rd base. I almost slept with her yesterday morning.” 

“You don’t want to?” Beth asks, surprised. 

“I would love nothing more than to join fully with Cassandra, I just don’t want to disappoint her family by taking their daughter’s virginity before marriage. Mama was firm on that when I came out to her.” I say with a frown, reaching for my backpack. 

“Considering your track record, do you think you two will last that long?” Beth says with a coy smile. 

“I doubt it.” I smile. “But I want that to be Cassandra’s decision, not mine.” 

“You are so complex sometimes.” Beth says shaking her head. “See you later.” 

“See you later.” I smile and give my sister a quick peck on the cheek.

I get out of the car and Cassandra rushes down the stairs and into my arms for a loving embrace. We hold each other tightly like we were long departed loves, even though it’s just been a day since I saw her. 

“I missed you.” Cassandra whispers lovingly in my ear before looking at me and kissing me deeply.   
Her kiss holds the passion we shared Saturday morning, and my member responds to the intensity. _Definitely not sleeping over tonight!_

We turn around and walk up the steps arms around each other. I notice that her dress is nearly the black twin of mine; I wonder if she knew what I’d be wearing today… The only difference is her neckline is rounded, where mine is a low cut V, showing my charms. My girlfriend notices, I see her glance down my cleavage a few times as we climbed the steps. 

We’re no sooner inside when I hear. “Rose!” Alexander exclaims from the living room and runs up to give me a hug. 

“Hey there kiddo, any of your family arrive yet?” I smile as I return the hug. 

Alexander nods. “Zio Ronato, zia Georgina and my cousins Valentino & Paolo are already here for lunch.”

“You might remember them.” Cassandra comments. “They were the two boys that were with us when we went Back-to-School shopping.” 

I nod as I’m building up the courage on how to meet the Goth extended family. Bella comes down the hall from the kitchen. “Rose, my lovely flower, I am so glad you made it for lunch” She steps up and pulls me into a motherly hug. “Now everyone wash up, lunch will be served soon.” She smiles. 

“Yes, Mama.” The three of us say together. Bella smiles and goes into the living room as we use the hall bathroom to wash up together. 

“You called her Mama!” Alexander says as we’re soaping up our hands.” 

“It came out the other day, and now just feels right.” I smile as I rinse my hands.

Cassandra leans over and whispers in my ear. “She’ll be your Mama one day, so it’s fitting.” 

I look at my girlfriend with a coy smile. _Now just what does she have planned for us that she’s so sure?_

We head into the dining room, as the others come down from upstairs, having opted for other bathrooms instead of waiting for us. I am introduced to Renato & Georgina Alto, from Bella’s side of the family. Their children Valentino & Paolo are in Alexander’s age range, being one year older and one year younger than he is. It’s obvious that the boys are close, despite not being in the same grades. Renato seems more interested in my sports accomplishments when Cassandra boasts that I’m the captain of the soccer team, while Georgina seems more keen on my musical and artistic abilities. 

“Wait till you hear us play together!” Alexander beams. 

“Rose has been instrumental in spurring Alexander to finally make use of his natural musical aptitude.” Bella smiles admiringly. 

“What do you play?” Georgina perks up. 

“My main passion is the piano, but I’m also handy with the Guitar and Cello.” I smile. 

“What about the violin?” She probes. 

“You don’t want to hear me try to play the violin.” I blush. “I’ll leave that for my lovely girlfriend to master, she plays it so well.” 

Cassandra leans against me, blushing. “You are such a charmer.” 

“You two are very close. How long have you been dating?” her aunt asks. 

“About a month now?” I look at Cassandra. 

“Officially, two weeks” Cassandra corrects me. “After you broke up with Monique.” 

“Right.” I say. 

“We met the week before school started.” Cassandra continues. “And became quick friends. We have so much in common that it was easy to fall for Rose.” My girlfriend leans against me lovingly. We hold hands as I switch to my left to continue eating. 

“I didn’t think you would date a girl.” Her uncle says surprised. “You only ever spoke about boys before this year.”

“Rose is special.” Cassandra says with a fond smile. “I never imagined falling in love with a girl either.” 

Her aunt picks up on the nuance. “It’s serious between you two, you’re not just dating?”

“I would say it’s pretty serious.” I smile at my girlfriend lovingly. “We’re planning on being together for a long time.” 

Cassandra smiles at me, and her only reply is to lean forward and give me a tender kiss. The boys ‘ew’ at our display of affection.

“They make such a lovely couple.” Bella smiles. “We crowned them the Harvest couple at the dance on Friday.” 

“I saw the pictures.” Her aunt says. “I hadn’t realized it was that serious.” She munches on some bread thoughtfully. “And you approve of this relationship?” 

“Very much so.” Bella smiles. “Rose has been an amazing influence on this household, she will make a wonderful addition to the family.” 

_Oh, my gosh! I try to suppress my surprise at Bella, effectively naming Cassandra and I as a promissory couple. Should I look for a ring?_

“You think they will go that far?” Renato says, surprised. 

“It’s leading that way.” Bella gives me a motherly smile. I blush. I didn’t think she would admit to family that I see Cassandra as my soul mate. 

Cassandra is making no objections. She gives my hand a squeeze and looks at me tenderly when I look in her eyes. “There’s that green I love so much.” She whispers. I hadn’t realized that my eyes had shifted. 

The conversation shifts to other couples and family members. Cassandra and I eat quietly as the adults go on about family gossip. I feel like I’m back home at Mémmère’s house with my mother’s side of the family catching up with each other. I’m drawn from my mental wandering when suddenly her aunt pipes up. 

“Aren’t you worried about children?” I mean, two women…. 

Cassandra has been following the conversation more than I have and suddenly smiles. “We have that taken care of, if the relationship goes that far.” She gives me a loving look, and I suddenly swallow hard. This feels like supper with Omar all over again, with my girlfriend hinting that we can still have children, but not openly admitting why.

Bella distracts Georgina with other family related matters and they start their girl talk all over again. The comment didn’t escape Renato, and he looks at me curiously, as I try to focus on my lunch, and not what’s going on at the table. My girlfriend senses my discomfort and gives my hand a loving squeeze. I can feel her calmness, and I look at her, surprised at how calm she is after that statement. 

It’s not soon after lunch, we’re still cleaning up the table when the doorbell rings. Cassandra’s eyes suddenly light up and she runs to the door. I hand the plates to Bella and watch my girlfriend fling the door open and hug the grey-haired woman at the entrance. 

“Nonna!” she says happily. 

“Look how tall you’ve grown, Nipotina! And how thin! Are you eating enough?” the woman says in a motherly tone. 

“Oh Nonna, yes, Mama has even praised my increased appetite lately.” Cassandra smiles. 

I leave the last of the cleanup to Bella and slowly start walking to the door. As if sensing my approach, my girlfriend turns around. 

“Nonna, you must meet my girlfriend Rose, she’s amazing!” Cassandra beams. 

“Girlfriend? Not just a figurative term?” she queries. 

“We are in a relationship.” I say calmly as I approach her grandparents. 

“You are dating another girl?” The man beside Nonna says in a disapproving tone. 

“Gunther, do not judge, let our nipotina explain herself.” The woman says sternly. She turns to me. “Come here signorina, let me look at you.” 

I step beside Cassandra, and the woman takes me by the shoulders. I see her eyes flicker. _Oh no, don’t tell me she’s a witch and can sense my abilities!?_ The woman suddenly smiles as I try to keep my composure. 

“Rose is such a fitting name for such a lovely flower. While your Nonno may not approve, I can admire your tastes in girls.” Nonna says approvingly. 

“Grazie.” I reply and anything else I was about to say is cut off by Alexander suddenly bursting between us. 

“Nonna! You came!” he exclaims happily. “Nonna wait till you see what I can play now, Rose has been teaching me the piano and I’ve gotten really good!”

She looks from her grandson to me. “She has? I look forward to hearing it once zio Guiseppe and his family arrive.” 

“Rose calls herself a modern-day bard, she is very talented.” Cassandra says putting her arm around me without hesitation. 

“I’m sure she does.” Nonna gives me a knowing smile. I swallow. _Yep, she can tell. Relax Rose, as long as she doesn’t spill to your girlfriend that you have actual magical talent before you can tell her yourself, everything will be fine._

“Children, let your nonne come in.” Balla says with a stern tone. “They’ve had a long drive to get her.” 

“Yes, Mama.” The kids answer and we move aside to let them in. 

Nonna keeps her eyes on me for a little longer as they walk into the house. She changes her focus and greets Bella with a kiss on each cheek. “Buon giornata figlia, come stai?” 

“Molto bene, grazie.” Bella smiles. I have a feeling that most of the rest of today’s conversation not going to be said in common. Good thing I know enough to understand them. 

The adults go into the living room. Nonna gives me one last look before following her daughter. 

Cassandra watches them. “Nonna seems particularly interested in you.” My girlfriend says thoughtfully. “She seems to approve of you though, I have to say that’s an improvement from the boyfriend I had in my Freshman year.”

“Can we go to your room?” I ask. “There’s something I should probably tell you.” _Before your grandmother does._

“Are you okay, Rose?” Cassandra says, suddenly concerned. “I’m not used to seeing you so nervous.”

I take her hand as we climb the stairs. “Believe it or not, I have agoraphobia. Meeting a lot of new people at once makes me a little nervous.” Which isn’t a lie, but not the true source of my anxiety right now.

We get into her room and I put some music on; I turn to her and take a deep breath. “Your Nonna is interested in me, cause she sensed something I haven’t told you yet.” I start. Cassandra looks at me confused. “When you told her I’m a modern-day bard, it’s because it’s true.” I say nervously. 

“Well, of course you are, you’re not just a talented musician.” She smiles at me lovingly. 

“Okay, Travis figured this out yesterday, and you probably would soon enough, but I need to tell you before Nonna does. I am actually a real bard, as in what you know of from games.” 

“What?” Cassandra says, confused.   
“My ability to fascinate and seduce you with music.. I sort of… well.. Did that on purpose.” I say, taking a deep breath. “It’s one of my abilities.” 

“I don’t understand…” Cassandra gives me a puzzled look. 

“Okay, then I’ll show you something else I can do.” I say I turn to the curtains, we’re still standing by the door. “Sairinanampë” I sing, motioning my hands closed and the curtains close themselves in front of us. I turn to my girlfriend who stands there stunned. “I can only do little tricks and I have my musical talents, I’m not as strong of a caster as some of my other family are. Travis first suspected my Haversack, as it seems to contain more than it should hold, and I never have to hunt for anything, I just reach in and take things out…” 

“You mean…” Cassandra says trying to piece things together. 

“Magic does actually exist, my love, it’s just very rare.” I whisper. “Though I suspect you already know that…”

“And you?….” She looks at me.

“Are a real life bard as you read in D&D, to put it into game terms I’m probably only lvl 5 at my age and ability.” 

“Does Beth know?” Cassandra is still stunned. 

“No, we rarely tell people outside of the family, it can be dangerous letting others know, people generally fear magic.” I say. 

“Why are you telling me this?” Cassandra is still looking for a logical explanation of what I did. 

“Your Nonna’s eyes flickered, she sensed my aura. Since Leilani & Tina were there when Travis figured it out, it is only fair that those closest to my heart know the secrets that I hold.”

“When were you going to tell me? If she hadn’t?” Cassandra is getting upset. 

“Later tonight, I don’t like hiding things from you, my love, understand, that this is a deep family secret that I’m not supposed to let anyone know. It can be even more dangerous than people finding out I’m a transgender girl.” I give her a pleading look. 

“Oh Rose, why do you always have to be so mysterious?” Cassandra sighs and falls into my arms. “Just when I think I have you figured out, you show me how little I really know about you.” 

“Ma belle amour. I don’t do this to be cruel. No one in Willow Creek was supposed to discover my magical abilities.” I say holding her tight. 

“But why?” Cassandra looks at me, there is hurt in her brown eyes.

“Only 1% of the world's population has enough ability to use magic. It follows family lines. If your Nona is a mage or witch, it means you might hold some talent, I’m pretty sure your mother does.” I whisper. 

“How do you know?” Cassandra frowns.

“I don’t have the ability to sense magical auras, I’m not that strong, but the way Mama looks at me sometimes, I think she suspects my abilities.” 

“Which is why Mama has accepted you into our family so quickly…” Cassandra suddenly realizes. 

“If we ever have children, my love, they will have at least my abilities - if not stronger.” I say with sudden realization. “A marriage of magical bloodlines makes for stronger children.” 

Cassandra leans against me thoughtfully. “You are such a complicated girl. However did I fall in love with you?” 

“If you believe in fate or destiny, one could say we were meant to find each other.” I whisper. 

“You are such a romantic.” Cassandra smiles. “That’s the part I love the most. You see the world so differently, with such optimism, so much hope, that there is good in everyone.” She looks into my eyes lovingly. “Your eyes are brighter after what you did with the drapes.”

“Had you been in front of me, they glow when I use my abilities.” I touch her nose lovingly. 

Cassandra suddenly catches on. “That’s why you knew Nonna was a witch. You saw her eyes flicker, for just a moment.” 

“She’s very good at hiding it, but I’ve learned from Mémmère what to look for when I meet a magic user.” 

“Do your parents know?” Cassandra queries. 

“Why do you think my mundane father beat me?” I say with a frown, I can feel my eyes dim at the memory.

“Oh Rose! I’m so sorry!” Cassandra suddenly hugs me close.

“Both Dave and I have the aptitude.” I hold her close and mumble into her shoulder. “He’s just better at hiding it than I am. When my father caught me accidentally using magic, he thought smacking it out of me would work. When that didn’t, he pushed me into physical mundane activities to dull my mind.” 

“No one should have to suffer that kind of abuse.” Cassandra says sadly. 

“The women on my mother’s side are the strongest casters.” I start. 

“So you transitioning would only strengthen your abilities, that’s why he lost it?” Cassandra gasps. I merely nod as I feel a tear well up from the memory. 

“Rose, don’t cry, you’re safe now.” Cassandra says holding me. 

I relax and smile. “Safer than you realize.” I feel myself calm down at my recent discovery. 


	80. Sunday Discoveries

“What do you mean?” Cassandra asks as she pulls herself away from me. 

“Tina and I found out yesterday,” I start. “I spoke to Maman last night. The Simmons filed the papers that Dave never finished. I’m legally the Simmons' daughter now, my father can’t touch me anymore.” 

“That’s amazing!” Cassandra says happily. “Wait, how did Tina find out?”

“She came home with me last night…” I say hesitantly and blush. 

“Why did she follow you home last night, Rose?” Cassandra queries. 

“Something triggered in Tina yesterday afternoon. We’ve always shared a connection, almost as deep as the one that you and I share. When she realized just how much she really loves me, she first invited me to meet her parents for supper, then asks them to drive me home…” 

"And convinced you and her parents to let her stay the night. She’s fallen more deeply in love with you than Leilani has, hasn’t she?" 

“Yes. She was very reluctant to part ways today.” I sigh. “I’m glad I came over today. She needs a couple of days to sort out her feelings or she’ll become perpetually clingy and never want to be apart.”

“I know the feeling.” Cassandra smiles lovingly. “I didn’t want to let you go yesterday either and missed you horribly.” 

“I missed you too.” I smile and she gives me a loving kiss. 

“What am I going to do about you?” Cassandra whispers into my ear as we hold each other close. 

“Your mother hinted at marriage, is that her idea or yours?” I whisper, _I need to know._

Cassandra bites her lip and blushes. “I may have said something about feeling you were my soul mate.”

“And I admitted much the same to her when I came out to her. Telling her why we need to be careful, she already sees us as destined down that route.” I say in realization. 

“You know, it’s not a bad idea…” Cassandra suggests, leaning back and hanging onto my neck. 

“We are both so young, my love, are you ready for that kind of commitment?” I say with a touch of worry.

“I don’t know, I guess we can approach this slowly like we are with the rest of our relationship?” She offers. 

“I like the sound of that.” I smile and pull her back to me for a deep kiss. _Okay, now I really need to get a ring… but not till the holiday. I want to make it a special present._

The doorbell ringing breaks us from our embrace. “That would be my uncle Giuseppe and his family. Alexander will want to show off his talents now that all the family to show up is here. Ready to put on a show? You know he won’t do this without you.”

“Sure. I’m ready.” I smile. 

Sure enough, as we leave Cassandra’s room, Alexander is eagerly running up the stairs to see if I’m ready to help him perform. Time to put my inspire competence ability to use again. I’m glad that none of the Goths have figured out so far that I’ve been boosting the boy’s abilities a touch when I’m around.

Cassandra and I stand by the bay window where the piano sits and wait for the others to arrive. I have Alexander fetching his cello while we wait for his grandparents to climb the steps. He’s coming back down with the instrument and his music stand while they settle on the benches in the hall. 

“You want to start with Chopsticks first?” I ask him and he nods. 

We both settle on the bench and we play together. I do my switch up to the jazz version on my scale and I can feel the mood in the room improve as we smile and laugh while playing. 

“You played that without the music sheet this time.” Mortimer says in amazement. 

“I’ve been practicing.” Alexander beams. 

“You start with 'Let it Be'. While I get set up on the cello.” I say. 

Alexander nods and moves the song sheets around to open the song book. I sit down on the corner of the bench and start sing with his playing. 

_“Show me what you can do.”_ I hear Nonna Cornelia’s voice in my mind. 

I smile and focus on the backup instruments, and the phantom drums start up, followed by the guitar. Alexander is focused on his playing so he doesn’t realize it, but the others do. Cassandra smiles when she realizes my eyes are glowing slightly behind my half-closed eyes.

When Alexander is done playing, they all clap while Bella and Cornelia look at me intently. “ _We’ll talk about it later._ ” I whisper to her wordlessly using ventriloquism to make it sound like I’m on the other side of her. I see Cornelia nod and smile. 

Next up is our duet with Moonlight Sonata. Alexander gets the sheet music ready and I tap out the countdown when he says he’s ready. I let him play the first stanza before I add in the cello. I can see Nonna watching me closely as I wave the bow to his playing before accompanying him. 

“ _You’re helping him, aren’t you?_ ” I hear her voice in my mind. 

“ _I’m a Bard, Inspiring Competence is a talent I possess._ ” I reply, trying to not miss a note.

Everyone claps and cheers at the end of our playing. 

“Okay, switch around, time for you to show off your cello talents.” I say.

“I’m not sure…” Alexander hesitates. 

“You played it so well yesterday, piccolo, I know you can do it again.” Bella says encouragingly, then looking at me. She smiles when I nod. She’s figured out what I’ve been doing as her mother has.

“Come now. Back straight, read the music once and then we’ll play when you’re ready.” I say encouragingly.   
I can see Alexander calm down with my suggestion, and he takes a deep breath and nods. He opens the sheets and I can see him mumble as he plays the music in his mind for Roshan’s Lament. He takes another deep breath. “Ready.” He says.

I do my piano accompaniment. I close my eyes so that the men can’t see that I’m using more of my talent than usual; I don’t want Alexander to miss those three notes on the 3rd bar again. Once he’s really into it, I continue with the piano meter to keep his pace. Once we’re done, Cassandra holds the cello while we bow. 

“I never knew you played so well.” His grandfather Gunther says, "we are so proud of your improvements." He smiles. 

“I never wouldn’t have done it without Rose helping me.” Alexander gives me a big hug. 

“Now, now, my padawan. I just gave you a little push.” I smile as I return his affections. 

Suddenly Cassandra hands me the cello. “Show me what you can really do with this.” 

I give her a bit of a surprised look. “I’m merely here to showcase my padawan’s abilities.” I say. 

“Please?” she looks at me with those lovely brown eyes, and I can’t deny my love a request. 

Bella smiles and hands me the sheets for Prélude. I look them over and smile. “Very well.” 

I sit down on the piano bench and take a deep breath. I play the suite in G Major and I can see my girlfriend's face swoon as I get into the music. 

“Wow!” the kids say once I’m done playing. 

“Now some of you are going to be learning the cello soon, if not already like Alexander here. They will start you off with classical pieces, and if you are like my young padawan here, you’ll think that..” 

“Classical music is boring.” Alexander finishes for me, causing the kids to giggle. 

“Yes, classical music can be **boring**.” Causing the kids to giggle more. “But when you apply your talents, you can then convert modern music to almost any instrument you like.” 

I play ‘A Thousand Years’ on the on the cello, at first the kids don’t catch on, till I sign along with my playing. 

“That sounds as beautiful as when you play it on the piano.” Cassandra says in a sultry tone. I look up and she has that glassy look in her eyes. She leans forward and gives me a long, loving kiss. “Thank you.” She smiles as I release the spell on her. 

“That’s was amazing!” says the eldest girl, she looks to be about 14. “I took cello for two years, but they never taught us stuff like that!” 

“Here.” I say with a smile. I pull out the sheet music I wrote to convert the song from piano to cello from my backpack. “You follow this and I’ll play along.” 

“Thank you.” She smiles, all curious. “Can I?” she looks to Alexander, and he nods. “My name’s Luisa.” She says shyly as she sits beside me on the piano bench. 

The sheet I set in front of her is for a duet, and so we play together without signing. Everyone is quiet as we play together. The duet is actually more challenging than what I just played, as some blocks require her to strum and then bow.

“That was amazing Luisa.” Her mother says impressed. “You managed that with no rehearsal.” 

“I did!” the girl suddenly says, surprised. 

Bella smiles. She’s caught on what I’m doing. “Why don’t you children go on up and play in Alexander’s room while we talk.” 

“Okay.” They say together. 

Luisa gets up and hugs me from behind. “Thanks for letting me play.” Before joining the others. 

“What is your trick?” Giuseppe asks as the kids are out of earshot. 

“She’s a bard, dear. She’s using her talents to boost their abilities.” Serafina says. “I could see her ability weave itself around Luisa as she played.” 

I blush. “I told Cassandra that others in Willow Creek were not supposed to know of what I can do, but I guess that’s impossible to do with a family like yours.” 

“We’ve not seen it in any of the children yet.” Nonna says. “I have seen it to skip a generation.” 

“Camilla is still young, she might still blossom yet.” Serafina replies. 

“Not like Rose has.” Bella smiles now that she can see my abilities for what they are. 

“I’m but a bard, Mama. My abilities will never match your mother’s.” 

“But a bard.” Serafina smiles. “You pass your talents off as if they are minor.” 

“They are minor.” I reply. “Outside of a few little cantrips and tricks, my talents can only mend, heal, and influence emotions. Nothing I can do will ever cause harm to someone.” 

“As a good white witch’s gifts will.” Serafina smiles. 

“Heal….” Cassandra looks thoughtful. “You’ve been healing, Trent! First his sunburn, then his back… That’s why he’s fine nearly the next day!” 

“And why I barely peel, no matter how bad my sunburn is, yes.” I blush. 

“Let me guess, she has a special burn cream no one had seen before, and it works wonders.” Serafina smiles. 

“Ma tante Irène actually makes that, that doesn’t come from me.” I reply. 

“So you come from an arcane bloodline.” Nonna says. “It is a shame that both you and Cassandra are girls.” 

Cassandra and I look at each other and blush. It doesn’t escape her grandmother's notice. 

“What am I missing?” Nonna asks, confused. 

“Can I?” my girlfriend asks me, and I nod. “Hmm.. Nonna Rose wasn’t born a girl.” 

“How many people know this?” Giuseppe says, surprised. 

“My close friends and their families, the school administration, and now you.” I say. “I try to limit those that know I have something different between my legs than other girls. It can be dangerous broadcasting that I am a transgender girl.” 

“Is that what they now call two-spirited individuals?” Nonna asks. “You are much more feminine that I expected from someone like you.” 

“I take hormone supplements to increase my estrogen so I can be a girl.” I reply. 

“And in that, you discovered your powers have grown stronger, haven’t you?” Nonna looks at me. 

“As the other women on my mother’s side of the family, yes.” I say. “Only one male in my family has any notable skill.” 

“Did he make your haversack? I cannot see the contents, and yet, you reach in and grab whatever you need without hesitation.” Serafina adds in. 

“Yes. My boyfriend Travis was the first to figure out my haversack holds much more than it should.” 

“Boyfriend?” Giuseppe queries. 

“Rose shares her love with more than just my daughter.” Bella replies for me. “I’ve watched them over the past two months, it’s an amicable arrangement. None of them argue, none of them fight for one another’s affections. I don’t know how Rose does it, but I’m guessing it’s just part of her gift.” 

“Ever the romantic, you exude charisma, like that lovely strawberry scent that surrounds you.” Serafina comments. 

“You mean that’s not just Rose’s soap?” Cassandra looks at me, surprised. 

“It’s more like a pheromone.” I reply. “I discovered Elina’s perfume this summer and may have…” I blush. “Made it more or less a permanent effect on me. It requires contact to really be effective, but it surrounds me with an alluring aura. I was hoping it would wear off, but - if anything - it’s just become stronger since I moved here.” 

“Is that what makes her so compelling?” Renato suddenly speaks up from being quiet.

“Does that mean that…” Cassandra looks confused. 

“My dear, your feelings for Rose are not being tampered with, you love her. Like any other perfume, it’s doesn’t change who you are, just makes her more alluring.” Bella says catching on where Cassandra may be going. 

“Oh.” Cassandra looks relieved. “The day I met Rose I couldn’t understand how, for the first time in my life, I found a girl so attractive.” She approaches the bench and leans against me lovingly. 

“The perfume is just a simple aphrodisiac.” I comment. “It may have triggered your interest, but you falling in love with me was all you my darlin’.” I say putting my arm around her. She settles in to my shoulder and sighs. 

“So you can have an heir.” Nonna says suddenly. 

I blush. “We’ve not discussed if our relationship will go that far, but yes, I can give Cassandra children.” 

“Do you feel like she’s your soul mate?” Nonna continues. “Attuned bloodlines attract one another.” 

“Is that why I am so attracted to Rose?” Cassandra asks, turning to look up at me.

“It’s a matter of instinct.” Nonna says. “The stronger the bloodline, the stronger the attraction.” 

“Do the Simmons know this, Rose?” Bella asks. 

“No, they don’t even know that my brother is also a bard. Beth and her family don't know my gifts.” I reply.

“Not to offend anyone, but no one here was to know about my abilities. But when I saw Nonna’s eyes glow, I knew I couldn’t hide from you.” 

“You hide so many secrets, don’t you?” Nonna say apprehensively. 

“Some intentionally, some to bury pain, others to shield my family.” I look at Bella. “I mean no disrespect, I share what I am able…” 

“You need to protect yourself, child. I understand. You have been a marvel wrapped in mystery from the moment we met, and now it is slowly unravelling why.” Bella smiles.

Cassandra repositions herself and snuggles into me further. “You never cease to amaze me my love.” 

“Are you going to tell the children?” I ask a touch worried. 

Serafina shakes her head. “Luisa is the only one old enough to truly comprehend what this is and the need for secrecy, but she has shown no aptitude. It’s best she not know what she’s missing.” 

Nonna regards me. “Before you became a girl, how strong were your gifts?” 

“Weak, almost non-existent outside of music, less than my brother’s.” I reply. 

“Interesting.” Nonna smiles. 

“Is that why she matured into a girl so much faster?” Cassandra wonders. “She only started hormones 6 months ago, yet….”

“I’ve developed to the same stage as Diane in less than half the time, yes.” I reply. “And probably surpassed her… I never thought my magic could boost my transition.” I say thoughtfully. “But it would explain how I went from a non-social zero to being one of the most popular girls in school in just two months.”

“Oh?” Nonna queries. 

“Everyone loves Rose.” Cassandra says happily. “She just exudes this natural attraction.” She looks up at me. “Now I know why.” 

I shrug and give an apologetic look. “It’s not hurting anyone.” 

“No, in fact quite the opposite, everyone you touch becomes a better person.” Cassandra says affectionately. “I’ve become more social, Travis stronger & confident, Tina and Trent better at soccer. The biggest difference is Susan. She went from the stuck up snob she was to being friendly.”

“She’ll be able to graduate with real friends rather than the fake girls she hung out with.” I smile. 

“You did that on purpose?” Cassandra queries. 

“When she nearly broke her wrist, I couldn’t leave her to struggle. She needed someone to show her there was still kindness in the world.” I say in a concerned tone. 

“You are adorable.” Cassandra smiles and turns around for a kiss. “You have such a soft heart.” 

“At least she uses her gifts for good things.” Nonna smiles. “I approve of your relationship.”

“Thank you Nonna, that means a lot to me.” Cassandra smiles and snuggles back into me.

“I’m going to start on supper.” Bella says. “Maybe we should all go down to the living room. Where is it more comfortable?” 

“Excellent suggestion.” Giuseppe says. 

We make our way downstairs to the living room. 


	81. Harvest Supper

There is plenty of seating for all of us. Including a nice love seat for Cassandra to snuggle up with me. Serafina has been watching our interactions. The tenderness, the touching, the continual show of affection.

“You love her so dearly, nipote.” Her aunt smiles. 

“I’ve never felt so strongly for anyone in my life.” Cassandra gives me a loving look. “In her arms, everything feels right. I even sleep better.” 

“Are you two already intimate? Before marriage?” Nonna looks concerned. 

“We’ve not gone that far yet.” I assure her and she relaxes. “We’ve had a few sleep overs, while we are deeply affectionate, we’re not quite ready for that.” 

“Your alluring nature, I would not take you as someone who is chaste.” Nonna says seriously. 

“Oh, my other loves and I have become much more intimate, but Cassandra has always felt special. I’ve been compelled to take my time with our relationship and not rush what we have.” I reply. 

“Your honesty is refreshing.” Serafina smiles. 

“There is no point in hiding the truth from you.” I look around the room. “To deceive you would just ruin your trust, and I do not want to sour my relationship with your family.” 

“So young, yet so mature at the same time.” Gunther comments. 

“Like Cassandra, she has an old soul, but still filled with youth and discovery.” Bella smiles as she comes into the room. “The lasagna is cooking, and will take some time.”

“Perhaps they were destined to meet then?” Nonna says. “They seem to share many common interests…” 

Bella smiles. “There are times I do swear that they are of one mind.” 

The women share a wordless glance. What are they thinking, I wonder? I know Nonna can use telepathy, so they could have an entire conversation and we’ll never be the wiser. This is as frustrating as being home with my grandparents. What was it my father would say? _Bloody witches, never know what they are thinking_ … He always hates not being in control. 

“What do you think they are discussing?” Cassandra whispers in my ear. 

“Hopefully not our marriage, I wasn’t planing on that till after graduation.” I whisper back. 

“Oh, you are, hmm?” she whispers in my ear seductively. I blush at my sudden admission. “So, I noticed your bra pushes your mounds to accentuate a cleavage.” She continues to whisper.

“Do you like what I’ve done for you?” I tease back. 

Cassandra moans softly and kisses that one spot at the back of my neck, turning me to butter in her arms. “You are such a tease, I can’t touch you the way I want with my family around.” 

“Are two usually that affectionate around others?” Giuseppe asks, breaking our flirting moment. 

Both Cassandra and I blush, and she shifts so that she’s leaning against my shoulder. “Rose is really hard to resist.” Cassandra says, ashamed for being so open around her family. 

“I’m sorry, I try to suppress myself more around others, but Cassandra makes it hard to keep it under control.” I apologize. 

The women suddenly look at us. “You don’t control your allure, do you?” Nonna asks. 

“Not normally no.” I say embarrassed. “Since the start of my transition, it seems to be always on.” 

“Maybe when she’s through her puberty she’ll be able to control it better? Remember me at her age?” Serafina says. 

“I remember the long line of suitors you had, and how much competition my Giuseppe had for your hand in marriage.” Nonna smiles. “Meanwhile, poor Mortimer had so much trouble dating.”

“Mama, please, I was just a quiet, socially awkward writer. No woman really wanted someone like me.” Mortimer’s face flushes. 

“Not till you bumped into Bella.” Nonna says sympathetically. 

“Literally.” Bella giggles. “It was at the tennis club, we accidentally backed into each other.” 

“There was a destined couple if I every seen one.” Serafina says. “Bella’s abilities rivaled mine at that age.”

I suddenly look at Bella, surprised. 

“I dabbled more in alchemy than a spell weaving,” she smiles. “Little did I know that the Alto and Goth families were magically compatible.” 

“Her eyes glowed the moment they touched.” Serafina smiles. 

“It’s why they were best friends before meeting my brother and I.” Giuseppe tells me. “Those with the gift are naturally drawn to each other, even if it’s not romantic.” He smiles. 

“Maman never explained these things to me.” I say in wonder. “I could never understand how I was drawn so strongly to Cassandra compared to the others. The more I got to know her, the stronger the feelings have grown.” 

“And then I admitted my feelings for her and our resolves just sort of evaporated from there.” Cass blushes. 

“Why resist each other at all?” Nonna asks. “I know this is a new feeling for you, nipotina…”

“Rose was dating a rather monogamous possessive girl. Their public relationship made it very difficult to admit my feelings for her…” 

“No respectable Goth would play second fiddle to some puttana.” Gunther comments. “I see you we taught you well.” 

“Gunther.” Cornelia scolds him. 

“No, I would say his surface assessment of Monique is fairly accurate. She seduced me on our second date.” I mumble. 

“Monique?” Bella looks at me. “Monique Norwood? The girl in the blue dress that was hanging off your arm half the night at the dance?” 

“She’s trying to win Rose back from me, but no one in the relationship is letting her.” Cassandra says with a frown. 

“Cassandra and Travis don’t like Monique, for pretty good reason.” Cassandra hugs me close as I put my arm around her. “When we split up two weeks ago, Cassandra saw her chance, and we started dating. This Tuesday my ex admitted she still has feelings for me.” 

“Rose, your allure must be like a drug, one that is difficult to keep away from.” Bella comments. 

“Coming from the woman who used to brew love potions, I would take her word on that.” Serafina smiles. 

“That would explain her begging me to take her back.” I sigh. “I just wish I could tell her no.” I say sadly. 

“Why can you not tell that other girl no?” Mortimer probes. 

“Rose has had no relationships before Monique. Dating and relationships are unfamiliar to her. While physically formidable and intelligent, she’s emotionally immature.” Cassandra replies for me. 

“Thank you for your vote of confidence, my darlin'.” I say sarcastically. “I’d be annoyed with you if you were wrong.” I say sadly.

“Only six months since becoming a girl? Yes, you would be very vulnerable, much like a 12-year-old in that regard. Where is your mother in all this discovery? Has she not offered you guidance?” Nonna says concerned. 

“Umm..” I start fidget. “My father refuses to accept who I am, so I left my parents’ care. I spent the summer with my brother. He became my legal guardian. I was living alone the first month and a half after arriving here, trying to manage all this myself. I thought I was old enough to take care of myself.” I take a long, sad breath. “I didn’t do as well as I hoped.” 

“So this Monique took advantage of your vulnerability?” Nonna says with a worried tone. 

“She did. If it weren’t for my friends, it probably would be worse than it ended.” I look at her. “My brother’s in-laws have recently taken over as my legal parents, and I now live with them.” I look at Cassandra lovingly. “If it weren’t for my lovely Cassandra’s silly stubbornness. I wouldn’t be here right now.” 

“You deserved better than how she was treating you. I would not let her walk all over you.” Cassandra says firmly. 

“True bards are rare and precious,” Nonna looks at me. “Your gift in music, art, and romance… are to be cherished and nurtured - not to be taken advantage of.” She turns to Cassandra. “Nipotina, even when you didn’t know who you held in your arms, you still protected her. I’m very proud of you.” 

“The day I met Rose, I was drawn to her. It’s like I’ve always loved her.” Cassandra says as she caresses my cheek. 

The women look at each other. Then Bella looks at me. “Rose, how about you help me with the garlic bread like you did the other day?” 

“Sure.” I smile and give Cassandra a loving kiss before joining her mother in the kitchen.   
“Your family is going to grill my girlfriend on her feelings, aren’t they?” I ask as I grate the cheese.

“They are. Away from your influence.” She teases me. 

“I wish I could control it.” I grumble. 

“You are both so young, yet speak of your relationship as if it will last forever.” Bella says concerned. 

“Mama, I love your daughter and after graduation hope to make her my wife. That feeling started a month ago and has only gotten stronger every day we spend together.” I say seriously. 

“Oh.” She says as she butters the bread. “So it is that serious?” she looks pensive. “Why wait till graduation?” 

“Outside of it’s probably illegal to marry Cassandra under the age of 18?” I get cheeky. 

Bella smiles. “That is a good start, yes.” 

“Like your family, I want to make sure that this is not merely an infatuation, and that she truly is the soul mate I feel she is. I care for my other loves, each one has their own place in my heart. My relationship with Cassandra is different. I have never loved someone as much as I love her.” I say looking at Bella. “Like Cassandra just said, it’s as if I’ve always loved her. It just took time for my mind to realize it. Even the others in our relationship have told me that the love they have for me will never match Cassandra’s.” 

I turn to hand her the bowl of grated cheese. “Were your eyes always such a bright emerald?” Bella notices, mildly surprised. “I thought they were darker…” 

“Naturally they are jade.” I nod. “They brighten or darken depending on my mood.” 

“And turn from stone to crystal clear when you love someone?” Bella notes how smooth the iris is now. 

I nod. “Leilani thought it was cute, but Tina was the first to make the connection. Particularly when my eyes dropped to a dull dark grey when I got angry with her brother.” 

“No poker face for you.” Bella teases me as she covers the bread in cheese. 

I giggle. “Apparently not.” 

“You might want to control the glow of your song-weaving,” Bella advises me. “They were florescent at the height of your background instruments.” 

_Fairilamman_ requires concentration to control the sounds, it’s not something I can just trigger and let it play on its own. It’s why I rarely use it. 

“What does that translate to?” Bella inquires. 

“Phantom Sounds.” I reply. “That along with ventriloquism were handy tricks to distract bullies when I was younger.” 

Bella puts her hand gently on my cheek. The motion is more motherly than the affectionate motion that Cass uses. “You hold so much pain from your past.” She says, her eyes welling up. “I wish I could take that away from you.” 

“That is my burden to carry, no need to weigh the pain of my past on others” I say sadly. 

“So young, yet so mature at the same time.” She lets go of my cheek and places her hand on my shoulder. “You two are certainly a good match.” She places the garlic bread in the oven. “Even naked, you still did not take advantage of my daughter, I admire your patience with her.” 

“Oh, you knew we were naked yesterday morning?” I blush and look at the ground, embarrassed. “I promised Cassandra we would we go at her pace, and that I would never push her to do something she was uncomfortable with.” 

“That mutual respect is why I trust you two alone.” Bella smiles. “I know you will not do something foolish. I guess where you have other lovers, it makes it easier. They please you and you don’t feel the pressure or frustration of repressed passion.” 

“If we’re being candid, I’m both male and female. Everything turns me on.” I say honestly. “I’m constantly keeping my hormonal response in check, as I could probably be worse than I am.” I give a mischievous grin. 

“You are a reminder of a younger me.” She smiles and gives my chin a pinch. “It is perhaps why I’ve felt I can trust you the day we met. Come, lets get the tables ready while the bread toasts.” 

I notice that there is a smaller 6 seat table beside the larger family table. Bella senses my question. “The smaller table is for the children. You and Cassandra will sit at the main table with the adults.”

“Just like back home.” I smile. “Even though there are five years between Dave and I, we are still the two oldest grandchildren. My mother bore a teenage pregnancy, so they waited till my father was finished college before having me. The rest of my family are all younger than my mother.”

“It sounds like a family pattern.” Bella comments as we set the places. 

“That’s what I’m worried about.” I frown. 

“Vieni mangia!” Bella calls out as she goes gets the bread before it burns. “Did you have a dream Friday night, Rose?”

I nod. “I saw a daughter, before we wed.” I say with a frown.

“You saw you and Cassandra marry? In your dream?” she hands me the bread basket. 

“A double wedding with my brother.” I nod. “Beth said that they are getting married the summer we graduate, so I will get your daughter pregnant before the end of the school year.” I say worried. 

“Try to make that one premonition that doesn’t come true then.” Bella says in a motherly tone.

“I’ll do my best.” I nod and bring the bread out. 

Everyone is sitting down, Nonna is arranging everyone’s seats, conveniently placing couples side-by-side, meaning that Cassandra is sitting to my right. With ten people at main table. We’re five on each side, I am at the end of the table with Cassandra, Renato, Gorgina and Cornelia. Bella sits across from me followed by Mortimer, Serafina, Giuseppe and Gunther. The kids' table is more ‘organized’ with the boys on one side of the table, the girls on the other. 

Bella uses the opportunity being on the end to get up and serve everyone, as the garlic cheese bread gets passed around. 

With the children within earshot, we make casual family discussion. The conversation turns to our missing two guests. Michael and Dina opted to have tonight’s supper with the Caliente family, so the women discuss if there’s a chance that we’ll have a new family member or not. 

Cassandra whispers in my ear, echoing my own fears. “We’re likely to have a baby before my uncle does, they’re not that serious.” I look from my girlfriend to Bella and swallow. “What’s wrong, my love?” she asks concerned.

“You mean it would take them over two years to have a baby?” I whisper back nervously. 

“Maybe, why does that bother you?” Cassandra says concerned. 

“Otherwise you’re hinting at us having a baby before we get married.” I say looking into her eyes. 

I can feel that Cassandra doesn’t find that concept at all worrisome, which now has me worried even more. _Am I ready for parenthood at this age?_ “I’m ready for whatever may come our way Rose, I love you.” 

I relax and look into those beautiful brown eyes. “I love you too.” We share a tender kiss before reaching for our wine and taking a sip. 

“You two make such an adorable couple.” Serafina smiles. “I can see why you were voted the Harvest couple of the dance.” 

“Coach Roberts backed up my vote, stating they share the purest romance of anyone at school.” Bella smiles. 

“Because my nipotina is still a virgin, yet they are head over heels in love with each other? Vero Amore, as we used to call it. True Love.” She smiles. 

“Exactly.” Bella smiles. “I’ve seen it build since Rose moved to Willow Creek, it’s been a joy watching their romance bloom.” 

“So, where did you live before here, Rose?” Gunther asks. “You said something about living with your brother…” 

“I was born in San Myshuno.” I start. "My father’s side of the family are blue-collar workers. It’s from my mother’s side that I get my artistic and musical talents. My mother’s family worked to foster my bardic abilities, teaching me music and art from a young age. It was also to help teach me focus and patience." I take a sip of wine. “I have ADD, it’s a learning disability, where my mind runs faster than most other people. It has the perk of being able to effectively use adrenaline.” 

“No one can keep up with my Rose when she’s on an adrenaline rush.” Cassandra giggles. 

“To deal with my excess energy, my father kept pushing me to harder and more intense sports. Sometimes I think he was testing to see how much I could take before I broke.” I say sadly. “I went from a thin feminine person like Cassandra to more muscular that I am now. They put me into weight lifting, martial arts, swimming, off-road cycling, and iron-man competitions. I became an adrenaline junkie, always looking for the next thrill.”

“What changed?” Gunther asks. “It almost sounds like fun.” 

“It wasn’t fun, it was painful. It changed me. I became rude, mean, aggressive, over-competitive. I never had teammates, I had opponents. I competed against my team as much as I competed against others.” I take a breath. I can see by Cassandra’s look that my eyes have gone grey. “What changed was that I beat a boy in school so badly that I put him in the hospital with life-threatening injuries.” I put my head down in shame. “All that I thought I was working for I shattered, my sensei threatened to kick me out of the dojo. I was to learn to control my anger and redeem myself. I started seeing a therapist to find the source of my depression.” I look up. “That is when my therapist told me I was effectively a girl trapped in an angry, confused boy’s body, and that I - if I truly wanted to leave my hate and anger behind - I need to leave my masculinity behind with it.”

I take a deep breath. “My mother was understanding, my brother agreed, my father refused - violently so.” I can feel Cassandra's hand hold mine, trying to contain the meltdown that I’m struggling to hold under the surface. “So, I left with my brother. He threatened emancipation if they didn’t agree to him being my legal guardian.” I poke at my supper. “So I moved away from the city, went with him to Britechester, and started my transition.” I look around the table. The kids are amazed by my story. “My therapist was right.” I smile. “When I started my transition, I realized I could finally be myself. I could finally be the loving, caring romantic I so desperately wanted to be.” I take another deep breath. “In discovering myself, I discovered that caring and kindness do still exist. That there is hope for a better tomorrow, and that happiness can be found if you look in the right place. So I’ve made it my purpose in life to help others find happiness as well.” 

“Which is why you share your heart so freely.” Bella smiles. “As a bard, you can help influence emotions. Turn doubt into certainty, solve disputes, smooth over differences, and help people find commonality?” 

“It’s really amazing to watch her when she does it.” Cassandra says in adoration. “My friends and I have learned to pick up on her nuances, and the way she can help people is incredible!”

“I only do what I do so that people can find happiness. Seeing their joy is all the reward I need.” I smile as I scoop up some lasagna. 


End file.
